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serendipitous
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3 dictionary results for: serendipitous
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
ser·en·dip·i·tous       [ser-uhn-dip-i-tuhs] Pronunciation Key
–adjective
1.come upon or found by accident; fortuitous: serendipitous scientific discoveries.
2.of, pertaining to, or suggesting serendipity.
3.good; beneficial; favorable: serendipitous weather for our vacation.
[Origin: 1940–45; serendipit(y) + -ous]

—Related forms
ser·en·dip·i·tous·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ser·en·dip·i·ty       (sěr'ən-dĭp'ĭ-tē)  Pronunciation Key 
n.   pl. ser·en·dip·i·ties
  1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
  2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.
  3. An instance of making such a discovery.


[From the characters in the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, who made such discoveries, from Persian Sarandīp, Sri Lanka, from Arabic sarandīb.]

ser'en·dip'i·tous adj., ser'en·dip'i·tous·ly adv.
Word History: We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that "this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word." Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of "a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of...."

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
serendipitous

adjective
lucky in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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