vicissitude en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Middle French vicissitude, from Latin vicissitūdō (“change”), from vicissim (“on the other hand, in turn”), from vicis (“change, vicissitude”), whence Portuguese vez and French fois (“time (as in "next time"), occurrence”).
Meanings
- Regular change or succession from one thing to another, or one part of a cycle to the next; alternation; mutual succession; interchange; variability.
-
(in-plural, often) A change, especially in one's life or fortunes.
Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order, and received on the fourteenth day of the present month.
1789, George Washington, First Inaugural Address:The vicissitudes of war in Iraq cast a dreary backdrop for Donald Rumsfeld's first visit to Asian military allies since he became US Defense Secretary in 2001.
2003 November 18, “US redeployments afoot in Asia”, in Christian Science Monitor, page 6:Engaged intellectuals were obliged to take a stand on the side of progress and History, whatever the occasional moral vicissitudes.
2005, Tony Judt, “Culture Wars”, in Postwar: A history of Europe since 1945, London: Vintage Books, published 2010, →ISBN:And God made.. the Stars, and set them in the firmament of Heaven to illuminate the Earth, and rule the day in their vicissitude...
1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:Despite all the monarchy’s vicissitudes, however, Queen Elizabeth II, a figure from another age, who was stiff and formal and not noticeably particularly warm and empathetic, had won and retained the affection, loyalty and support of the overwhelming majority of the British public, who respected her for her diligence and sense of duty.
2022 September 8, Stephen Bates, “Queen Elizabeth II obituary”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 16 Dec 2022:Only a handful of rock musicians have become genuine icons - larger-than-life symbolic figures whose personal triumphs and vicissitudes seem to mirror the ups and downs of rock as a whole, and sometimes of the society that nurtures it. Often, rock icons become the objects of personality cults that tend to overshadow their musical accomplishments.
1981 May 31, Robert Palmer, “Two Icons of Rock Music”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Apr 2023:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| vicissitudes | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
vicissitudinous · vicissitudinary
Relateds
vicar · vicarious · vice- · vice versa
Synonyms
Translations (52)
cmn 沧桑 (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · de Veränderung (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · nl onbestendigheid (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · nl wisselvalligheid (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · it vicissitudine (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · pt vicissitude (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · la vicissitūdō (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · ru чередова́ние (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · la vicissitūdō (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · bg превра́тност (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · ca vicissitud (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · ja 栄枯盛衰 (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · ka უკუღმართობა (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · fr vicissitude (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · ca vicissitud (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · ja 変化 (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · de Wandel (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · es vicisitud (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · ru превра́тность (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · sh smjenjivanje (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · tr değişim (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · ar تبدل (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · kmr werçerx (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · ru непостоя́нство (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · pl zmiana (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · it vicissitudine (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · ar تقلب الأحوال (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · sh smenjivanje (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · de Unbeständigkeit (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · nb omkalfatring (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · fi käänne (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · bg смяна (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · ga tréimhseacht (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · pt vicissitude (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · nb omstyrtning (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · kmr guherîn (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · nb forandring (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · ko 변천 (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · la vicissitās (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · ka ცვალებადობა (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · fi vaihtelu (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · ru сме́на (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · pl zmienność (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · es vicisitud (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · ro vicisitudine (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · tr değişim (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · fr vicissitude (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · tr istikrarsızlık (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · bg редуване (regular change or succession from one thing to another) · de Wechsel (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · nb omveltning (a change, especially in one's life or fortunes) · de Wandel (regular change or succession from one thing to another)