raison d'etre
A person's raison d'etre is their purpose or reason for living. It's why they do things.
In French, raison d'etre literally means "reason for being," and in English it means about the same. Someone's raison d'etre is the most important thing to them: Michael Jordan's raison d'etre was basketball. Beethoven's raison d'etre was music. A raison d'etre motivates a person; it's their purpose. Taking care of your family could be your raison d'etre, and so could your career. Raison d'etre is a strong term for something that gives a person's life meaning.
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the reason why something exists
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type of:
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rationalisation, rationalization
the cognitive process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason
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rationalisation, rationalization
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the purpose that justifies a thing's existence
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Vocabulary lists containing raison d'etre
This list covers "The Old Cabin," A Raisin in the Sun, "Letter from Chief John Ross," and "Dream House."
Oskar Schell is a nine-year old with a quest: to find a key left behind by his father, who was killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center.
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