profession

From Anglo-Norman professioun, Old French profession (“declaration of faith, religious vows, occupation”), from Latin professiō (“avowal, public declaration”), from the participle stem of profitērī (“to profess”).

• IPA^(key): /pɹəˈfɛʃən/

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profession (plural professions)

1. A declaration of belief, faith or one's opinion, whether genuine or pretended.

   Despite his continued professions of innocence, the court eventually sentenced him to five years.

2. An occupation, trade, craft, or activity in which one has a professed expertise in a particular area; a job, especially one requiring a high level of skill or training.

   My father was a barrister by profession.

3. The practitioners of such an occupation collectively.

   His conduct is against the established practices of the legal profession.

4. A promise or vow made on entering a religious order.

   She died only a few years after her profession.

   • 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society 1985, p. 27:

     Rosario was a young novice belonging to the monastery, who in three months intended to make his profession.

Borrowed from Latin professiō, professiōnem.

• IPA^(key): /pʁɔ.fɛ.sjɔ̃/

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profession f (plural professions)

1. profession, public declaration

   Toute profession d'incrédulité (...) sera poursuivie comme outrage à la religion et scandale pour les mœurs. (Proudhon, Révol. soc., 1852)

   1. profession, public declaration of faith

      D'une voix altérée, il prononça la profession de foi musulmane, comme pour se prémunir contre une tentation qu'il redoutait sans pouvoir la préciser. (Du Camp, Nil, 1854)

2. profession, occupation, trade, craft, activity

   une profession lucrative.

3. profession, practitioners of a profession collectively

   Ces décisions s'imposent à toute la profession, elles ne sont exécutoires qu'après approbation par le ministre.

• professionnalisation
• professionnaliser
• professionnalisme
• professionnellement
• professionnel, professionnelle

• professer
• professeur

• “profession” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• professioun (Anglo-Norman)
• professiun (Anglo-Norman)

Borrowed from Latin profession.

profession f (oblique plural professions, nominative singular profession, nominative plural professions)

1. profession; declaration (usually of faith)

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (profession, supplement)