I have recently encountered the word "repoire" but have been unable to find it in several different dictionaries. However, a quick web search reveals that it is frequently used. I suspect that it is a misspelling of "rapport," and if not, it must be a synonym. Can anyone shed any light on repoire or its etymology?

Hi Procrastinatrix:

I can't find 'repoire' in Shorter Oxford; perhaps others may have come across it elsewhere.

How long did it take before you posted this? (Sorry, I couldn't resist that -- but if the cap (or handle) fits, you might have to wear it occasionally).

cheers
paulb

Looks like a haplology of repertoire, to me.
Does this fit the context at all?

I don't think it's related to repertoire.

Here's where I first saw it:

"Incan diviners and augurs also had no previous clue to the impending invasion, despite their repoire with the spirit world."
http://www.reall.org/newsletter/v07/n11/index.html

And here are the top hits from a Google search for "repoire":

"...quickly make new friends and develop a repoire with their teachers..."
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1996/4/96.04.10.x.html

"We had so many pleasant sensations between us, a fine repoire, yet I felt a bit crazed unknowing whether or not if this repoire is real, or a phantom of what I want to be real."
http://www.nwlink.com/~phoenix/op11.htm

"I decided we had enough of a repoire to give out my phone number..."
http://www.1st-family.com/finance/articles/mortgages/mortgage.story.html

"You feel a bondedness to them, a connectedness, you feel a sense of repoire."
http://personalwebs.myriad.net/Roland/docs/lect2.htm

Something of a mixed bag, as you can see, but it seems clear that the sense is the same as "rapport."

Possibly useful sidenote: I didn't get any hits for "repiore."

Another interesting side note: repoire is number 41 the "Top 1000 Not Found" list at http://www.dict.org, with the same number of attempted searches as "recieve."

And, paulb, I rushed right over to post this after trying to find "repoire" in many online dictionaries and doing several extensive web searches. I'm supposed to be revising a paper, you see. . .

Substitute "rapport" (relation marked by harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity - Merriam-Webster) in each case, and I think you might have your answer.

As recieve is a mis-spelling, its either a mis-spelling of rapport (as you say it works for all the examples) or a foreign word (French?).

yes, this just shows how the average literacy rate of kids is sinking today... <g>

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