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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

Raison d'être

/ˌɹeɪzɑn ˈdɛtɹə/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does Raison d'être mean?

noun

  1. A reason for being; the claimed reason for the existence of something or someone; the sole or ultimate purpose of something or someone.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˌɹeɪzɑn ˈdɛtɹə/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

You see, children were the--the raison d’être in this country.
Charlotte Perkins GilmanHerlandProject Gutenberg ebook #32
In all species the number of births is at first exaggerated, for all, the obscure, the nameless, the most destructive, our pests as well as our most precious helpers, have their utility and their part to play in the general scheme of life, a raison d'être in the eternal renewal of things, which is without reference to the vexatious or beneficent quality of their behaviour to us.
Georges Victor LegrosFabre, Poet of ScienceTranslated by Bernard MiallProject Gutenberg ebook #3489