raison d'etre

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rai·son d'ê·tre

(rā′zōn dĕt′rə, rĕ-zôN)

n. pl. rai·sons d'être (rā′zōn, rĕ-zôN)

Reason or justification for existing.

[French : raison, reason + de, of, for + être, to be.]

raison d'être

(rɛzɔ̃ dɛtrə)

n, pl raisons d'être (rɛzɔ̃ dɛtrə)

reason or justification for existence

raison d'être

A French phrase meaning reason for being, used to mean a reason or justification for the existence of something or someone.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	raison d'etre - reason for being rationalization, rationalisation - the cognitive process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason
	2.	raison d'etre - the purpose that justifies a thing's existence function, purpose, use, role - what something is used for; "the function of an auger is to bore holes"; "ballet is beautiful but what use is it?"

Translations

raison d'être

[ˈreɪzɔːnˈdɛːtr] N → razón f de ser

raison d'être

[ˌreɪz#xf5;ːnˈdeɪtr/ə] n → ragione f di vita

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References in periodicals archive ?

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REAL estate developers Cayan Group has entered into a strategic partnership with Swedish company Raison d'Etre, a creator, owner and manager of luxury spas for prestigious international hotels, to develop the upscale LivNordic Spa by Raison d'Etre at the Cayan Tower in Dubai Marina.

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Cayan Group, one of the Middle East's leading real estate developers, has partnered with Swedish company Raison d'Etre - creator, owner and manager of luxury spas for prestigious international hotels - to develop the upscale LivNordic Spa at the Cayan Tower in Dubai Marina, UAE.

New LivNordic Spa to open at Cayan Tower Dubai

Check out Equipment, silk shirts are their raison d'etre.

Q&A

En reaction a l'orientation que prend le Front du Salut National (FSN) de devenir un Front electoral en prevision du prochain scrutin , la coordination nationale du reseau Dostourouna a annonce son retrait du FSN , estimant que son appartenance a cette alliance n'a plus de raison d'etre.

Le reseau Dostourouna se retire du FSN

A recent English literature graduate, perhaps budding novelist, freelance copyeditor and, of course, music lover, Mia has more than one raison d'etre, and refuses to compromise.

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Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda reiterated his resolve Saturday to enact legislation for a consumption tax hike by June, even though he faces difficulty in winning approval from his own party, saying his administration will otherwise lose its raison d'etre.