This is another of those wonderfully versatile items that has more uses than you can shake a stick at.

vis-à-vis (vis-à-vis): / vee zuh VEE / (always italicized)
adverb

(1) face to face; opposite each other

adjective

(1) face-to-face
(2) having two portraits facing each other (as in coins)

noun

(1) someone face-to-face with or opposite another
(2) a date at a social affair; escort
(3) a person of equal rank, authority, stature, etc.; counterpart
(4) a horse-drawn carriage in which the occupants sit face-to-face
(5) a sofa or other piece of furniture shaped in such a way as to allow its occupants to sit facing each other

preposition

(1) as compared with
(2) in relation to; regarding
(3) face-to-face with or facing; opposite to

[From French vis à vis meaning “face to face.”]

Usage: Could you explain this year’s budget requests vis-à-vis your capital improvement plan?