漏網之魚 métier

下個星期為東吳校訂的期中考週，許多同學在我「當人不手軟、高分不吝嗇」的威脅利誘下，可能都早早就繃緊了神經。

英語詞彙學、英語詞源學、英語詞源研究這三門科目的考題都已經出好，目前已呈課務組交印中。今天正在準備英語構詞法的考題時才驟然發現，之前我給一、二節 (A 組) 那個班介紹英文裡的法文外來語時，出現了個漏網之魚 métier！

這個 métier 跟 minister/ministry 有關，源自拉丁文 ministerium (字根 minis 與 minus 同源，為 lesser "較小的；次要的" 之意)，原指 servant/service。在語言變化的歷史長河中，ministerium 經歷 "字中省音" (syncope)，丟失了首音節的 in 縮略成 misterium；續經 "字尾省音" (apocope)，丟失了尾音 -um，復逢母音變化，演變成古法文的 mestier。這個古法文的 mestier 在邁向現代法文的過程中，又丟失了字中的子音 s，因而給前面的母音字母 e 冠上了左下撇 (acute accent)，最終成為 métier (意為 craft/trade "手藝/職業")。

我們的「職業」是我們賴以維生的工具，理論上當是我們專擅的「手藝」。英文向法文借了這個詞，取的就是這樣「專長、擅長的事」的引伸義。茲援引目前市面上六本主流的高階英語學習詞典，錄其定義、例句以為證：

metier noun [countable] VERY FORMAL
the type of work that you are good at, or the subject that you know most about
-- Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, Second Edition (2007)

metier noun [countable usually singular] formal
someone's metier is the type of work or activity that they enjoy doing because they have a natural ability to do it well: Acting is not my metier.
-- Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Writing Assistant Edition (2005)

métier noun [usually sing.] (from French, formal)
a person's work, especially when they have a natural skill or ability for it
-- Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Seventh Edition (2005)

metier noun [ C ] (ALSO métier) FORMAL
the type of work that you have a natural ability to do well: Rose tried painting but found her metier in music.
-- Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Third Edition (2008)

metier also métier N-COUNT usu with poss
Your metier is the type of work that you have a natural talent for and do well. (formal): It was as the magazine's business manager that he found his true metier.
-- Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary, New Edition (2006)

métier also metier noun [count] formal
something that a person does very well ▪ After trying several careers, she found her true métier in computer science. ▪ Public speaking is not my métier. [=forte, strength]
-- Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary (2008)