liaise
UK[liˈeɪz]US[liˈeɪz]
v
To act as a link or intermediary to assist communication and cooperation between people or groups.
Etymology
The word 'liaise' is a 20th-century back-formation from the much older noun 'liaison', which entered English from French in the 17th century. The French 'liaison' derives from the Latin verb 'ligare', meaning 'to bind'. The core semantic logic flows from this ancient root: the concept of 'binding' evolved into the French military term for an inter-unit connection, which then generalized into any linking relationship. The modern verb 'liaise' was created by removing the '-on' suffix, reversing the typical word-formation process to succinctly describe the action of forming or maintaining such a cooperative link.
Analysis
This word is a back-formation from the noun 'liaison'. It is not productively composed of separable morphemes in modern English.
Examples
My role is to liaise between the marketing and engineering departments.
The police are liaising with social services on the case.
It is crucial that the two teams liaise regularly to avoid duplication of work.