career

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

Mid 16th century, from French carrière (a road or racecourse), from Italian carriera, from Old Provençal carreira, from Late Latin carrāria based on Latin carrus 'wheeled vehicle'. Or from Middle French carriere, from Old Provençal/Occitan carriera ("road"), from Late Latin carrāria.

Pronunciation

• (GenAm) IPA: /kəˈrɪr/
• (RP) IPA: /kəˈrɪə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone (non-rhotic accents only): Korea

Noun

career (plural careers)

1. One's calling in life; a person's occupation; one's profession.
2. An individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan.
3. (archaic) speed
   • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 3, chapter XIII, Democracy

     It may be admitted that Democracy, in all meanings of the word, is in full career; irresistible by any Ritter Kauderwalsch or other Son of Adam, as times go.

4. A jouster's path during a joust.
   • 1819: Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe

     These knights, therefore, their aim being thus eluded, rushed from opposite sides betwixt the object of their attack and the Templar, almost running their horses against each other ere they could stop their career.

5. (obsolete) A short gallop of a horse. [16th-18th c.]
   • 1603, John Florio, trans. Michel de Montaigne, Essyas, I.48:

     It is said of Cæsar [...], that in his youth being mounted upon a horse, and without any bridle, he made him run a full cariere [tr. carriere], make a sodaine stop, and with his hands behind his backe performe what ever can be expected of an excellent ready horse.

Related terms

• careerism
• careerist

Translations

one's calling in life; a person's occupation

Arabic: مهنة (ar) (míhna) f. Bulgarian: кариера (bg) (kariéra) f., поприще (bg) (póprište) n. Catalan: carrera f. Chinese: Mandarin: 職業 (zh), 职业 (zh) (zhíyè), 生涯 (zh) (shēngyá) Czech: kariéra (cs) f. Dutch: carrière (nl) f., loopbaan (nl) Esperanto: kariero (eo) Finnish: työ (fi), ammatti (fi) French: carrière (fr) f. German: Karriere (de) f.

Hebrew: קריירה (he) (qariera) f. Hungarian: karrier (hu) Italian: carriera (it) f. Japanese: 経歴 (ja) (けいれき, keireki), キャリア (ja) (kyaria), 職業 (ja) (しょくぎょう, shokugyō) Norwegian: karriere (no) m. Polish: kariera Russian: карьера (ru) (kar'jéra) f., (figurative) поприще (ru) (póprišče) n., профессия (ru) (proféssija) f., призвание (ru) (prizvánije) n. Spanish: carrera (es) f. Swedish: karriär (sv)

an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan

Bulgarian: кариера (bg) (kariéra) f. Chinese: Mandarin: 職業 (zh), 职业 (zh) (zhíyè), 生涯 (zh) (shēngyá) Finnish: ura, työura French: carrière (fr) f.

German: Karriere (de) f. Hebrew: קריירה (he) (qariera) f. Japanese: 経歴 (ja) (けいれき, keireki), キャリア (ja) (kyaria) Norwegian: karriere (no) m. Russian: карьера (ru) (kar'jéra) f.

a jouster's path during a joust

Bulgarian: кариер (bg) (kariér) m.

Russian: карьер (ru) (kar'jér) m.

Verb

career (third-person singular simple present careers, present participle careering, simple past and past participle careered)

1. To move rapidly straight ahead, especially in an uncontrolled way.

   The car careered down the road, missed the curve, and went through a hedge.

   • 2011 September 16, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand 83-7 Japan”, BBC Sport:

     However, the hosts hit back and hit back hard, first replacement hooker Andrew Hore sliding over, then Williams careering out of his own half and leaving several defenders for dead before flipping the ball to Nonu to finish off a scintillating move.

Synonyms

(move rapidly straight ahead): careen

Translations

to move rapidly straight ahead

Bulgarian: препускам (bg)

Finnish: kiitää, viilettää, pyyhältää