Meanings
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1
noun
a private conversation or meeting between two people
The ambassadors held a brief tête-à-tête before the formal negotiations began.
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2
adj
involving or taking place privately between two people
They arranged a tête-à-tête dinner away from the rest of the delegation.
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3
noun
an S-shaped sofa on which two people sit facing in opposite directions while able to converse
The drawing room contained an ornate Victorian tête-à-tête upholstered in silk.
Thesaurus
Etymology
Borrowed from French tête-à-tête, literally head to head, and used in English from the late seventeenth century for a private meeting or conversation. The furniture sense arose in the nineteenth century for a two-seat sofa designed to facilitate intimate conversation.