[a. F. carrière racecourse; also career, in various senses; = It., Pr. carriera, Sp.
carrera road, carrer:late L. carrria (via) carriage-road, road, f. carr-us wagon.
The normal Central Fr. repr. of late L. carraria is OF. charriere, still usual in the dialects; it is not clear whether carrière is northern, or influenced by It. or Pr.]
1. a. The ground on which a race is run, a racecourse; also, the space within the barrier at a tournament. b. transf. The course over which any person or thing passes; road, path way. Obs.
1580 SIDNEY Arcadia (1622) 286 It was fit for him to go to the other end of the Career. 1642 HOWELL For. Trav. (Arb.) 46 In the carrere to Her mines. a1649 DRUMMOND OF HAWTHORNDEN Poems Wks. (1711) 6 Rowse Memmon's mother..That she thy [Phbus'] career may with roses spread. 1651 HOWELL Venice 39 Since the Portuguais found out the carreer to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope. 1751 CHAMBERS Cycl., Career, or Carier, in the manage, a place inclosed with a barrier, wherein they run the ring.
2. a. Of a horse: A short gallop at full speed (often in phr. to pass a career). Also a charge, encounter (at a tournament or in battle). Obs.
1571 HANMER Chron. Irel. (1633) 139 Seven tall men..made sundry Carreers and brave Turnaments. 1591 HARINGTON Orl. Fur. xxxviii. 35 (N.) To stop, to start, to pass carier. 1598 BARRET Theor. Warres V. ii. 142 The Lanciers..ought to know how to manage well a horse, run a good carrier, etc. 1617 MARKHAM Caval. II. 203 To passe a Cariere, is but to runne with strength and courage such a conuenient course as is meete for his ability. 1667 MILTON P.L. I. 766 Mortal combat or carreer with Lance. 1751 CHAMBERS Cycl., Career..is also used for the race, or course of the horse itself, provided it do not exceed two hundred paces. 1764 HARMER Observ. XXVII. vi. 284 Horses..walking in state and running in full career.
b. ‘The short turning of a nimble horse, now this way, nowe that way’ (Baret Alvearie); transf. a frisk, gambol. Obs.
1577 HOLINSHED Chron. III. 809/1 Manie a horsse raised on high with carrier, gallop, turne, and stop. 1594 2nd Rep. Faustus in Thoms Pr. Rom. (1858) III. 338 Careers and gambalds. 1599 SHAKES. Hen. V, II. i. 132 The king is a good king, but..he passes some humors, and carreeres.
3. a. By extension: A running, course (usually implying swift motion); formerly [like Fr. carrière] applied spec. to the course of the sun or a star through the heavens. Also abstr. Full speed, impetus: chiefly in phrases like in full career, to take, give (oneself or some thing) career, etc., which were originally terms of
horsemanship (see 2).
c1534 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (1846) I. 55 Theie..tooke privilie there carier abowte, and violentlie assailed the tents of there adversaries. 1591 SPENSER Ruins Time xvi, As ye see fell Boreas..To stop his wearie cáriere suddenly. 1626 T. H. Caussin's Holy Crt. 31 Dolphins..leape and bound with full carrere in the tumultuous waues. 1667 MILTON P.L. IV. 353 The Sun..was hasting now with prone carreer To th' Ocean Iles. a1677 BARROW Serm. Wks. 1716 III. 35 Sooner may we..stop the Sun in his carriere. 1762 FALCONER Shipwr. II. 258 Vast torrents force a terrible career. 1810 SCOTT Lady of L. III. xiii, Stretch onward on thy fleet career! 1863 M. HOWITT tr. F. Bremer's Greece II. xvi. 137 Away we went in full career with the waves and the wind.
b. Hawking. (See quot.)
1727-51 CHAMBERS Cycl., Career, in falconry, is a flight or tour of the bird, about one hundred and twenty yards.
4. fig. (from 2 and 3) Rapid and continuous ‘course of action, uninterrupted procedure’ (J.); formerly also, The height, ‘full swing’ of a person's activity.
1599 SHAKES. Much Ado II. iii. 250 Shall quips and sentences..awe a man from the careere of his humour? 1611 Wint. T. I. ii. 286 Stopping the Cariere Of Laughter, with a sigh. 1603 FLORIO Montaigne I. ix. (1632) 15 He takes a hundred times more cariere and libertie unto himselfe, than hee did for others. 1643 W. BURTON Beloved City 57 Antichrist, in the full course and carrére of his happynesse. 1663 COWLEY Verses & Ess. (1669) 35 Swift as light Thoughts their empty Carriere run. 1675 TRAHERNE Chr. Ethics xxv. 389 Quickly stopt in his careir of vertue. 1722 WOLLASTON Relig. Nat. ix. 174 Not to permit the reins to our passions, or give them their full carreer. 1767 FORDYCE Serm. Yng. Women II. viii. 29 A..beauty..in the career of
her conquests. 1848 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. II. 599 In the full career of success.
5. a. A person's course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life), esp. when publicly conspicuous, or abounding in remarkable incidents: similarly with reference to a nation, a political party, etc. b. In mod. language (after Fr. carrière) freq. used for: A course of professional life or employment, which affords opportunity for progress or advancement in the world. Freq. attrib. (orig. U.S.), esp. (a) designating one who works permanently in the diplomatic service or other profession, opp. one who enters it at a high level from elsewhere; (b) career girl, woman, etc., one who works permanently in a profession, opp. one who ceases full-time work on marrying. Also, careers master, mistress, a schoolteacher who advises and helps pupils in choosing careers.
1803 WELLINGTON in Gurw. Disp. II. 424 A more difficult negotiation than you have ever had in your diplomatic career. 1815 Scribbleomania 200 That great statesman's public career. 1860 MOTLEY Netherl. (1868) I. i. 7 A history..which records the career of France, Prussia, etc. 1868 GEO. ELIOT F. Holt 20 Harold must go and make a career for himself. 1884 Contemp. Rev. XLVI. 99 An artist, even in the humblest rank, had a career before him. 1927 Lit. Digest 25 June 14/2 The foundation of any sound Foreign Service must consist of ‘career men’ who have become expert. 1931 F. J. STIMSON My U.S. xviii. 190 The career professors look somewhat askance at one who comes in from the outside worldjust as career secretaries in diplomacy do upon a chief who has not gone through all the grades. 1936 Yale Rev. XXV. 288 Other steps essential to a well-rounded career service remain to be taken... The prospect of permanent undersecretaryships for career men needs to be realized. 1937 Collier's Wkly. 26 June 20 (heading) Career girl. 1937 Sat. Rev. Lit. 9 Oct. 16/3 Most career women are different. 1943 Assistant Masters' Year Book
24 The Committee enables members who are careers masters to exchange information. 1947 Daily Mail 25 Aug. 2/3 (heading) Should the career woman make dates? 1951 R. HOGGART Auden vi. 200 The career-girl Rosetta yearns for her lush English landscape. 1954 F. P. KEYES Royal Box viii. 101 He might well have expected the offer of an embassy... It's only occasionally that they go to career diplomats like me. 1959 Times 15 Apr. 13/4 As careers mistress in a grammar school it is certainly not my habit. 1970 New Yorker 17 Oct. 167/1 Philip Habib, a competent, if unusually brusque, career diplomat.
[OED2]
