démarche

Meanings

1. A diplomatic maneuver; one handled with finesse.
2. A diplomatic note without a personal attribution conveying an official protest or request for support, less formal than a bout de papier or a note verbale but of similar status to an aide-mémoire.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French démarche, from Middle French, from 12th century demarcher (“to march”), from Old French demarchier, from de- + marchier. Attested 1658, in sense “walk, step”; meaning “a diplomatic move” attested from 1670s.