Friendly understanding among nations in regard to foreign affairs or community interests comparable to an informal alliance because no treaty is necessary
A French term that was coined in 1840 and applied particularly to an agreement between Great Britain and France to support each others colonial policies reached in 1904 in order to address the increasing power of Germany. The Entente Cordiale was renamed Triple Entente when the Anglo-French alliance decided to include Russia.
It was formally titled, the 'Declaration between the United Kingdom and France Respecting Egypt and Morocco amd is today called The Entente Cordiale Between England and France by scholars. Composed of fourteen articles with the last five being secret, the success of the negotiation belongs primarily to Paul Cambon, France's ambassador in London, and to the British foreign secretary Lord Lansdowne; however the pro-French inclination of the British sovereign, Edward VII, added to the enterprise.
It was the summit of the policy created by the French Foreign minister from 1898, Théophile Delcassé. The main idea behind the agreement was to give freedom of action in Egypt to Great Britain and the same for France in Morocco.
Germay's reaction to the entente was to try to test the French in Morocco in 1905 (the First Moroccan Crisis or Tangier Incident), the results only caused to strengthen the agreement.
Sources
ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA:
http://www.britannica.com/
Entente Cordiale:
http:www.fwkc.com/encyclopedia/
The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School:
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/entecord.htm#art2s