serendipity en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌseɹ.ənˈdɪp.ɪ.ti/ (Australia)
- audio Queensland
- (London) audio
- /ˌsɛɹ.ənˈdɪp.ɪ.ti/ (Canada, General-American)
- [ˌseɹ.ənˈdɪp.ɪ.ɾi] (Australia)
- (California) audio
- /ˌsɛɹ.ənˈdɪp.ɪ.ti/ (UK)
- /ˌsɛɹ.ɛnˈdɪp.ɪ.ti/ (UK, rare)
- [ˌsɛɹ.ənˈdɪp.ɪ.ɾi] (Canada, General-American)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-Iranian *sinȷ́ʰás Proto-Indo-Aryan *sinźʰás Sanskrit सिंह (siṃha) Proto-Indo-European *-lós Sanskrit -ल (-la) Sanskrit सिंहल (siṃhala) Proto-Indo-Iranian *dwiHpás Sanskrit द्वीप (dvīpa) Sanskrit सिंहलद्वीप (siṃhaladvīpa) Prakrit *𑀲𑀻𑀳𑀮𑀤𑀻𑀯 (*sīhaladīva)bor. Persian سرندیپ (sarandip)bor. Arabic سَرَنْدِيب (sarandīb)bor. English Serendibder. English Serendip Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Latin -itāsder. Old French -itebor. Middle English -ite English -ity English serendipity From Serendip (“variant of Serendib: Ceylon, Sri Lanka”) + -ity. Coined by English writer and politician Horace Walpole in 1754 based on the Persian story of the Three Princes of Serendip, who (Walpole wrote to a friend) were “always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of”.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) The phenomenon of making an unplanned, fortunate discovery through a combination of unexpected circumstances and insightful recognition.
After I got here, in the first lockdown, my mum suddenly passed. It was the week of my final interview with the Mayor. It is serendipity that I am here when my dad really needs me.
2020 December 2, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 54:The most random serendipity brought the two of us together, and now, we are happily married! If I was just 15 seconds slower, I'd have never met her! This discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word, which, as I have nothing better to tell you, I shall endeavour to explain to you: you will understand it better by the derivation than by the definition. I once read 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: for instance, one of them discovered that a mule blind of the right eye had travelled the same road lately, because the grass was eaten only on the left side, where it was worse than on the right – now do you understand Serendipity? One of the most remarkable instances of this accidental Sagacity, (for you must observe that no discovery of a thing you are looking for comes under this description,) was of my Lord Shaftsbury, who, happening to dine at Lord Chancellor Clarendon's, found out the marriage of the Duke of York and Mrs. Hyde, by the respect with which her mother treated her at table.
1754, Horace Walpole, The Letters of Horace Walpole, vol. 2, Letter 90, To Sir Horace Mann, Arlington Street, Jan. 28, 1754. The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Letters of Horace Walpole, Volume 2
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(countable, uncountable) An unsought, unintended or unexpected, but fortunate, discovery or learning experience that occurs by accident.
2007, Erin McKean, speech at TED Serendipity is when you find things you weren't looking for because finding what you are looking for is so damn difficult.
- (countable, uncountable) The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| serendipities | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
serendipitous · serendipitist · serendipity berry · serendipitously
Synonyms
weird · luck · luck · serendipity · accident · hap · chance-medley · hazard · chance · joss · fortune · adventure · casualty · chance
Translations (66)
pt serendipitia (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · el τυχαιότητα (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · fr heureux hasard (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · it serendipità (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · fi onnekas sattumien summa (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · pt contingência (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · pl szczęśliwy zbieg okoliczności (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · sk šťastná zhoda okolností (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · nb lykketreff (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · fi onnekas sattuma (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · fr sérendipité (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · fr coup de pot (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · de zufällige Entdeckung (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · cmn 機緣湊巧 /机缘凑巧 (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · el κωλοφαρδία (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · de Serendipität (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · pt serendipismo (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · hy սերենդիպություն (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · sk šťastná náhoda (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · io serendipo (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · pt providência (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · scn sirinnipità (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · de wunderbares Zusammentreffen (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · de Zufallstreffer (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · fr aubaine (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · fr chance (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · fi onnenkantamoinen (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · de unverhofftes Glück (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · it scoperta (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · de wunderbares Geschehen (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · cmn 巧事 (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · es serendipidad (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · ja セレンディピティ (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · el εύνοια της τύχης (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · de glücklicher Zufall (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · nl serendipiteit (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · el ευτύχημα (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · el τυχαιότητα (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · pt serendipidade (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · de glückliche Fügung (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · hy երջանիկ պատահականություն (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · de überraschendes Ereignis (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · io serendipo (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · cmn 机缘巧合 (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · pt acaso (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · sv serendipitet (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · de (glücklicher) Zufallsfund (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · fi onnenpotku (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · de Serendipität (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · nl gelukkig toeval (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · it serendipità (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · ru счастли́вое стече́ние обстоя́тельств (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · uk щасливий збіг обста́вин (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · cmn 機緣 /机缘 (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · ru везу́честь (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · pt eventualidade (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · nb serendipitet (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · da lykketræf (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · ro serendipitate (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · es serendipia (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · ja 偶察力 (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · nl toevalstreffer (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · is slembilukka (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident) · scn sirintipità (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · sv serendipitet (a combination of events which are not individually beneficial, but occurring together produce a good or wonderful outcome) · ca serendipitat (unsought, unintended... and/or learning experience that happens by accident)