raison d'état
/ɹeɪˌzɑn deɪˈtɑː/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.34 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A state interest, especially when invoked as politically superior to moral or even legal considerations.
Example Sentences
- "The law as created by the Supreme Court has been nay-saying in fact and in effect, stating in specific instances a series of "thou shalt nots." Not entirely, to be sure, as the cases illustrating raison d'état in American constitutional law tend to indicate, but enough to make the generalization valid."
- "‘The western alliance is part of Germany's raison d'état,’ he declared. ‘We've got to take responsibility.[…]’"
- "Nor did the end of the Cold War put an end to the bipartisan tendency toward placing raison d'etat above the standards of international law and morality that America officially aims to uphold."
- "These epochal shifts contributed to lend specificity to the substantive rationality of the state — raison d'etat."
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: raison d'État
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɹeɪˌzɑn deɪˈtɑː/
- British English: /ɹeɪˌzɒ̃ deɪˈtɑː/