serendipity
/ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪti/ · noun
Meaning
1. The occurrence of pleasant or beneficial events by chance; a fortunate accident or happy surprise.
"It was pure serendipity that I bumped into my old friend at the airport."
2. The faculty or knack for making desirable discoveries by accident.
"The scientist's serendipity led to one of the century's great medical breakthroughs."
Word Origin
Coined in 1754 by the English writer Horace Walpole, who based it on the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip — Serendip being an old Persian name for Sri Lanka. In the tale, the princes are always making fortunate discoveries by accident.
Synonyms
chanceflukehappy accidentgood fortuneprovidence
Antonyms
misfortunebad luckdesign
Usage Notes
"Serendipity" is often used in casual conversation to describe lucky coincidences, but its richer meaning involves making a useful discovery while looking for something else entirely. The word is consistently voted one of the most beautiful in the English language.