métier · noun — any activity that is pursued as a trade or profession; a calling. It carries an Arena rating of 1835, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, métier ranks #1,242 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words, #2,922 of 17,188 for Most Malleable Words, #4,427 of 17,172 for Most Beautiful Words, #6,339 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
métier is pronounced /ˈmɛtjeɪ/.
Why “métier” is a great word
The specific profession, trade, or pursuit to which one is uniquely fitted by aptitude and skill. Borrowed from French métier ('trade, profession'), from Old French mestier ('task, affair, service'), from Latin ministerium ('service, office'), from minister ('servant'), first attested in English circa 1792. Unlike 'occupation' (a neutral term for regular work) or 'forte' (a particular strength), a métier is a sustained craft built upon a native calling. It is the surgeon’s instinctive grace with a scalpel, the cabinetmaker's patient hand fitting a dovetail joint, the composer’s inner ear for a resolving chord—the quiet recognition that one's labor and one's essence have become indistinguishable.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from French métier. Doublet of mister (“employment, trade”).
noun
- Any activity that is pursued as a trade or profession; a calling.
- An activity to which a person is particularly suited.
- An outstanding or beneficial feature.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- career 64% match — One’s calling in life; one's working occupation or profession, especially when pursued seriously or over a long period of time. vs métier →
- lifework 63% match — The main occupation or vocation of a person's life. vs métier →
- workery 56% match — The art or business of working; workmanship, especially pertaining to handcrafts, handiwork, needlework, etc. vs métier →
- employment 55% match — The occupation or work for which one is used, and often paid. vs métier →
- careerwise 55% match — In terms of one's career (occupation, profession). vs métier →
- profession 53% match — A declaration of faith.; A promise or vow made on entering a religious order. vs métier →
- artisanry 53% match — The work of an artisan. vs métier →
- affair 53% match — Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public. vs métier →