destinée

Destinée is a French noun meaning destiny, fate, or life path, and can also denote a vocation or calling. It refers to a predetermined or intended future for a person, an organization, or a project, and may carry a religious sense of a divine plan as well as a secular sense of a person’s life trajectory. The term is the feminine form of destin, and is often used to emphasize personal significance or a specific course, as opposed to a broader notion of fate.

Etymology: Destinée derives from the verb destiner, itself from Latin destinare “to determine, appoint,” with the noun-forming suffix -ée. The sense evolved in French to cover both fixed fate and a chosen path or vocation.

Usage: In literature and philosophy, destinée is a common motif for exploring the tension between fate and agency. In everyday language, it describes a person’s life purpose, career path, or fate within a story. Common expressions include réaliser sa destinée, suivre sa destinée, être à la poursuite de sa destinée, and vivre selon sa destinée. The term can also apply to broader scales, such as une destinée collective for a group or nation, though with a more elevated or poetic nuance.

See also: destin, fate, vocation.