Rapprochement
Etymology
From French rapprochement "a bringing near," from rapprocher "to bring close again," from re- "again" plus approcher "to approach," from Late Latin appropiare (ad- "to" plus prope "near"). It names the motion of drawing near once more, not the arrival.
noun · /rap-rohsh-MAHN/
A renewed warming of relations between parties who had been distant or hostile.
What it names
A handle for the cautious first thaw — the moving-closer-again that comes before, and may not reach, full reconciliation.
Example
A quiet dinner between the estranged brothers marked the first rapprochement in a decade.
Related idea
Distinct from reconciliation: rapprochement is the tentative reduction of distance — parties talking again, tensions easing — whereas reconciliation is the fuller restoration of a trusting relationship. Diplomacy borrows the word precisely because a rapprochement can occur without either side conceding or fully making up.
See also