raison d'être
[ rey-zohn de-truh; French re-zawn-de-truh ]
/ ˈreɪ zoʊn ˈdɛ trə; French rɛ zɔ̃ ˈdɛ trə /
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noun, plural rai·sons d'ê·tre [rey-zohnz de-truh; French re-zawn-de-truh]. /ˈreɪ zoʊnz ˈdɛ trə; French rɛ zɔ̃ ˈdɛ trə/.
reason or justification for being or existence: Art is the artist's raison d'être.
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Origin of raison d'être
Borrowed into English from French around 1865–70
Words nearby raison d'être
raisin, raising, raising plate, Raisin River, raison d'état, raison d'être, raisonneur, raita, raj, Rajab, rajah
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for raison d'être
raison d'être
/ French (rɛzɔ̃ dɛtrə) /
noun plural raisons d'être (rɛzɔ̃ dɛtrə)
reason or justification for existence
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for raison d'être
raison d'être
[ (ray-zohnn det-ruh) ]
A basic, essential purpose; a reason to exist: “Professor Naylor argues that in the nuclear age, infantry forces have lost their raison d'être.” From French, meaning “reason for being.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.