Serendipity
The occurrence of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for—a fortunate accident combined with the sagacity to recognize its significance, where preparation meets unexpected opportunity.
/sɛrənˈdɪpɪti/ 🇬🇧 UK/sɛrənˈdɪpɪti/Definition
The occurrence of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for—a fortunate accident combined with the sagacity to recognize its significance, where preparation meets unexpected opportunity.
Detailed
The occurrence of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for—a fortunate accident combined with the sagacity to recognize its significance, where preparation meets unexpected opportunity. Coined by Horace Walpole in 1754, inspired by the Persian fairy tale ‘The Three Princes of Serendip’ (Serendip = Sri Lanka). Walpole defined it as ‘making discoveries by accident and sagacity, of things not in quest of.’ The word describes the fortunate accident of finding valuable things while looking for something else—combining luck with the prepared mind that recognizes unexpected value.
Etymology
Coined by Horace Walpole in 1754, inspired by the Persian fairy tale ‘The Three Princes of Serendip’ (Serendip = Sri Lanka). Walpole defined it as ‘making discoveries by accident and sagacity, of things not in quest of.’ The word describes the fortunate accident of finding valuable things while looking for something else—combining luck with the prepared mind that recognizes unexpected value.
Explanations
Conceptual Breakdown
The occurrence of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for—a fortunate accident combined with the sagacity to recognize its significance, where preparation meets unexpected opportunity.
Real World Application
This concept manifests in daily life across its source culture and beyond.
Translations & Equivalents
| Language | Script | Transliteration | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telugu | అనుకోని అదృష్టం | అనుకోని అదృష్టం | |
| Tamil | எதிர்பாராத கண்டுபிடிப்பு | எதிர்பாராத கண்டுபிடிப்பு | |
| Kannada | ಅನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿತ ಅದೃಷ್ಟ | ಅನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿತ ಅದೃಷ್ಟ | |
| Malayalam | യാദൃച്ഛിക കണ്ടുപിടുത്തം | യാദൃച്ഛിക കണ്ടുപിടുത്തം | |
| Hindi | अप्रत्याशित खोज | अप्रत्याशित खोज | |
| Sanskrit | अकस्मात्प्राप्तिः | अकस्मात्प्राप्तिः | |
| Gujarati | અણધાર્યું સદ્ભાગ્ય | અણધાર્યું સદ્ભાગ્ય | |
| Bengali | আকস্মিক আবিষ্কার | আকস্মিক আবিষ্কার | |
| Marathi | अनपेक्षित शोध | अनपेक्षित शोध | |
| Urdu | اتفاقی خوش نصیبی | اتفاقی خوش نصیبی | |
| Arabic | صدفة سعيدة | صدفة سعيدة | |
| French | sérendipité | sérendipité | |
| German | Serendipität | Serendipität | |
| Spanish | serendipia | serendipia | |
| Portuguese | serendipidade | serendipidade | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 意外发现 | 意外发现 | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 意外發現 | 意外發現 | |
| Japanese | セレンディピティ | セレンディピティ | |
| Polish | serendypność | serendypność | |
| Russian | серендипность | серендипность | |
| Malay | serendipiti | serendipiti | |
| Indonesian | serendipiti | serendipiti | |
| Filipino | serendipity | serendipity | |
| Italian | serendipità | serendipità | |
| Danish | serendipitet | serendipitet | |
| English | serendipity | serendipity | /ˌsɛr.ənˈdɪp.ɪ.ti/ |
Videos
More video explanations by language
- Sérendipité: Accidents Heureux et Découvertes Fortuite
- Serendipidade: Acidentes Felizes e Descobertas Afortunadas
- السيرنديبية: الحوادث السعيدة والاكتشافات الموفقة
- सेरेंडिपिटी: खुशनुमा संयोग और सौभाग्यशाली खोजें
- 意外惊喜：幸运的意外与发现
- セレンディピティ：幸運な偶然と発見
- Serendipität: Glückliche Zufälle und glückliche Entdeckungen
- Серендипность: Счастливые Случайности и Удачные Открытия
- Serendipità: Coincidenze Felici e Scoperte Fortunate
- Serendipity – Polish Explanation
- Serendipity – Danish Explanation
- Serendipity – Bengali Explanation
- Serendipity – Indonesian Explanation
- Serendipity – Malay Explanation
- Serendipity – Filipino Explanation
- Serendipity – Persian Explanation
- Serendipity – Greek Explanation
- Serendipity – Tamil Explanation
- Serendipity – Urdu Explanation
- Serendipity – Hebrew Explanation
- Serendipity – Telugu Explanation
- Serendipity – Gujarati Explanation
- Serendipity – Kannada Explanation
- Serendipity – Malayalam Explanation
- Serendipity – Chinese (Traditional) Explanation
- Serendipity – Swedish Explanation
- Serendipity – Javanese Explanation
- Serendipity – Korean (cultural loan) Explanation
- Serendipity – Latin Explanation
- Serendipity – Marathi Explanation
- Serendipity – Sanskrit Explanation
- Serendipity – Tongan Explanation
- Serendipity – Welsh Explanation
- Serendipity – Wolof Explanation
- Serendipity – Xhosa Explanation
- Serendipity – Zulu/Xhosa Explanation