Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A scraping or shaving; rasure.
  • noun In pharmacy, the division of substances by the rasp or file.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The regimes rasion d'etre would disappear overnight.

    Jared Levy: Engaging Syria 2008

  • So long as the declivity of the stream is great, the greater the load of sand carried the greater the rate of vertical cutting; but when the declivity is reduced, so that part of the load is thrown down, vertical cutting is changed to lateral and the rate of cor-rasion multiplied thereby.

    Canyons of the Colorado John Wesley Powell 1868

  • Trying to convince one's self that armed resistance isn't actually the organization's rasion d'être takes a Golden Gate Bridge-sized suspension of disbelief.

    abu muqawama 2009

  • This particular rifle’s rasion d’etre wasn’t to punch paper, for sure.

    Some Random Thoughts on the Election 2008

  • As a recent graduate of environmental studies I must confess to have acquired as many questions as I have answers, but as free as I currently am of the dogmas associated with blind dedication to a theory/cause/rasion d’etre

    IPCC and Data Access « Climate Audit 2007

  • After all, you base your whole rasion d’etre on the very history that Cheryl cited.

    Amanda is on Men’s Rights Radio Today! 2005

  • i knew he was injured for a while but even though he moved "down" (albeit to a bigger club) his performances (apparently) have been getting good reviews and he seems to score a few goals wherever he goes - which is a bonus for a defender but not their main rasion d'etre (ie what's the point if he gets a header in from a corner if he is a factor for us conceding several).

    The Roar - Your Sports Opinion 2009

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