English for Students

English : Rendezvous

How do you pronounce Rendezvous?

The e in the first syllable is like the o in hot, lot and pot. The e in the second syllable, on the other hand, sounds like the i in hit, pit and kit. Some people, however, pronounce it like the ay in day, bay and hay. The final ous is pronounced like the oo in cool, pool and fool.

The s is silent, is it?

That's right.

What about the stress? Is it on the first syllable?

Right again. By the way, the z in the second syllable remains silent as well.

Then why have it all?

Don't ask me. Do you know what the word Rendezvous means?

Well, I can probably guess the meaning from the context. This newspaper article that I am reading right now says that the gym was the rendezvous for the well-known film star and his bookmaker.

So, what do you think the word means?

A rendezvous is probably a place where you meet someone secretly.

Excellent. When you have a rendezvous with someone, you decide where you are going to meet the person and when.

In other words, the meeting is prearranged.

That's right. If you bump into someone quite accidentally, you cannot call it a rendezvous.

I see. Give me some examples.

• O.K. Rajesh promised to meet Sujatha in the Rose Garden at 4:00 o'clock. But as usual, he was late for the rendezvous.

• Can I say the two Ministers had an early morning rendezvous in New York.?

Sounds good to me. The word is also used to mean a popular meeting place.

For example:

• The gym is a rendezvous for health nuts.

Meaning it's a place where people often meet.

That's right.

• Prof. Shyamraj's house is a rendezvous for budding writers.

That's an excellent example.