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serendipity
ser·en·dip·i·ty S0279300 (sĕr′ən-dĭp′ĭ-tē)n. pl. ser·en·dip·i·ties 1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.3. An instance of making such a discovery.
[From the characters in the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, who made such discoveries, from Persian Sarandīp, Sri Lanka, from Arabic Sarandīb, ultimately from Sanskrit Siṃhaladvīpaḥ : Siṃhalaḥ, Sri Lanka + dvīpaḥ, island; see Dhivehi.]
ser′en·dip′i·tous adj.ser′en·dip′i·tous·ly adv.Word History: We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which (along with his novel The Castle of Otranto, considered the first Gothic novel) his literary reputation rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, in which he discusses a certain painting, Walpole mentions a discovery about the significance of a Venetian coat of arms that he has made while looking at random into an old book—a method by which he had apparently made other worthwhile discoveries before: "This discovery I made by a talisman [a procedure achieving results like a charm] ... by which I find everything I want ... wherever I dip for it. This discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word." Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of "a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of...."serendipity (ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪtɪ) nthe faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident[C18: coined by Horace Walpole, from the Persian fairytale The Three Princes of Serendip, in which the heroes possess this gift] ˌserenˈdipitous adjser•en•dip•i•ty (ˌsɛr ənˈdɪp ɪ ti)
n. 1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. 2. good fortune; luck. [1754; Serendip + -ity; Horace Walpole so named a faculty possessed by the heroes of a fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip] serendipitya talent for making fortunate discoveries while searching for other things. — serendipitous, adj.See also: ChanceThesaurus| Noun | 1. | serendipity - good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveriesfluke, good fortune, good luck - a stroke of luck |
Translationsserendipity
ser·en·dip·i·ty (ser'en-dip'i-tē), A knack for discovery involving a combination of accident and wisdom while pursuing something else; in science, finding one thing while looking for something else, as in Fleming's discovery of penicillin. [coined by Horace Walpole and relates to The Three Princes of Serendip, fr. alternate spelling of Serendib, ancient name for Sri Lanka] ser·en·dip·i·ty (ser'en-dip'i-tē) A knack for discovery involving a combination of accident and wisdom while pursuing something else; in science, finding one thing while looking for something else. ser·en·dip·i·ty (ser'en-dip'i-tē) A knack for discovery involving combined accident and wisdom while pursuing something else. serendipity
Words related to serendipitynoun good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveriesRelated Words- fluke
- good fortune
- good luck
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