entry
serendipity
/ˌsɛrənˈdɪpəti/Fortunate discovery made unexpectedly or by chance
From Sanskrit, via Arabic and Persian serendip (Sri Lanka).
from Sanskrit Simhaladvipa "Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island." Attention was called to the word in an article in The...
from Arabic Sarandib
Word Ancestry
from Sanskrit Simhaladvipa "Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island." Attention was called to the word in an article in The...
from Arabic Sarandib
A prince on the island of Serendip notices clues nobody else was looking for, and somehow the clues solve the mystery anyway. That was the premise Horace Walpole borrowed from the Persian tale The Three Princes of Serendip when he coined serendipity in a letter dated January 28, 1754. The island’s name traveled a remarkable route: Sanskrit Siṃhaladvīpa, “Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island,” became Arabic Sarandīb and then the storybook Serendip. For more than a century the word barely stirred; it began appearing regularly only in the 1890s. So when a lucky accident delivers something wonderful, remember that you are carrying an old island name into a brand-new discovery.
The Story
A prince on the island of Serendip notices clues nobody else was looking for, and somehow the clues solve the mystery anyway. That was the premise Horace Walpole borrowed from the Persian tale The Three Princes of Serendip when he coined serendipity in a letter dated January 28, 1754. The island’s name traveled a remarkable route: Sanskrit Siṃhaladvīpa, “Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island,” became Arabic Sarandīb and then the storybook Serendip. For more than a century the word barely stirred; it began appearing regularly only in the 1890s. So when a lucky accident delivers something wonderful, remember that you are carrying an old island name into a brand-new discovery.
Modern Usage
A very good coincidence leading to something wonderful; also used as the title of a BTS song.
Notable References
- BTS song “Serendipity”
Kin & Kindred
From 'serendip'·Sri Lanka, especially its literary name Serendip
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary