Word
serendipity
Phoneticsserendip·i·ty
US/ˌsɛɹənˈdɪpɪti/
UK/sˌɛɹɪndˈɪpɪti/
Definition
n. the feeling of finding something great by accident.
n. the occurrence of fortunate discoveries made unintentionally.
Examples
“Finding that quiet bookshop was pure serendipity.”
“Their collaboration began by serendipity — both researchers reached for the same book in the library stacks.”
“The discovery of penicillin is often cited as an instance of scientific serendipity, though Fleming's prepared mind is what let him recognise the significance of a contaminated plate.”
Examples
simple
“Finding that quiet bookshop was pure serendipity.”
contextual
“Their collaboration began by serendipity — both researchers reached for the same book in the library stacks.”
complex
“The discovery of penicillin is often cited as an instance of scientific serendipity, though Fleming's prepared mind is what let him recognise the significance of a contaminated plate.”
Real-World Examples
“Busch says organizations can also reverse zemblanity by cultivating an environment in which employees tackle obstacles by innovating and creating their own good luck, the subject of his book, The Serendipity Mindset.” “Thus, Hamlet, Indiana, accidentally combines a personal surname with a term describing its own scale—adding layers of serendipity .” “Or it is entirely possible, too, that it was a stroke of serendipity that the couple – while in a legal relationship – were caught reading an infamous story of an age-gap liaison.” Etymology
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”.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/serendipity