raison d'être

Definition

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

Etymology

Borrowed from French raison d'être (literally “a reason to be”).

Example Sentences

• "Surfing became his raison d’être."
• "These raison d'etre and this evolution are not merely the achievement of men's conscious activity but are the unintentional results of their social activity."
• "It [Sacramento] is a town in which defense industry and its absentee owners are suddenly the most important facts; a town which has never had more people or more money, but has lost its raison d'être."