serendipity — the gift of making fortunate discoveries by accident
Overview
Meaning Now
The occurrence of a valuable or pleasant discovery by chance.
Literal older meaning
the gift of making fortunate discoveries by accident
Language path
Persian story tradition → English literary coinage → Modern English
Earliest form
serendipity
Earliest period
1754
Journey
Horace Walpole coined serendipity in 1754 after reading a story about the Three Princes of Serendip. Serendip was an old name associated with Sri Lanka. The word moved from a literary invention into everyday English for fortunate discoveries.
Evolution
1754
serendipity
“a talent for finding valuable things unexpectedly”
