serendipity
noun /,sɛrən'dɪpɪti/ [ˌserənˈdɪpəti]
- Definition
- good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries
- Example
- Finding my dream job was pure serendipity.
- Etymology
- From Serendip, an old name for Sri Lanka, from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip" whose heroes "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of."
- Usage Notes
- Often used to describe pleasant coincidences or fortunate discoveries.
- Regional Notes
- Common in both British and American English.
- Grammar Notes
- Used as a mass noun, not typically pluralized.
- Semantic Notes
- Implies both chance and positive outcome.
- Additional Notes
- The word was coined by Horace Walpole in 1754.
Quick Facts
Palindrome
No
Compound Word
No
Proper Noun
No
Rare
No
Archaic
No
Obsolete
No
Slang
No
Vowels
4
Consonants
7
Length
11
Word Statistics
Word Characteristics
Word Origin
Media
