serendipity (English)
Where does "serendipity" come from?
The word 'serendipity' was coined in 1754 by the English author Horace Walpole. He derived it from the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, whose protagonists were always making fortunate discoveries by accident. By combining the name 'Serendip', an old term for Ceylon, with the suffix '-ity', Walpole created a term to describe the happy knack of finding valuable things when you are not looking for them.
Full etymology tree
- serendipity (English), 'The phenomenon of making an unplanned, fortunate discovery through a combination of unexpected circumstances and insightful recognition.'
- derived Serendip (English), 'Alternative form of Serendib.'
- derived Serendib (English), 'An ancient name of Ceylon or Sri Lanka.'
- learned borrowing سَرَنْدِيب (sarandīb) (Arabic), 'Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Serendib, Serendip.'
- learned borrowing سرندیپ (sarandip) (Persian), 'Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Serendib, Serendip.'
- inherited सिंहलद्वीप (siṃhaladvīpa) (Sanskrit), 'The island of Sri Lanka'
- compound सिंहल (siṃhala) (Sanskrit), 'Sri Lanka (an island of South Asia)'
- compound द्वीप (dvīpa) (Sanskrit), 'island, peninsula, sandbank'
- inherited सिंहलद्वीप (siṃhaladvīpa) (Sanskrit), 'The island of Sri Lanka'
- learned borrowing سرندیپ (sarandip) (Persian), 'Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Serendib, Serendip.'
- learned borrowing سَرَنْدِيب (sarandīb) (Arabic), 'Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Serendib, Serendip.'
- derived Serendib (English), 'An ancient name of Ceylon or Sri Lanka.'
- affix -ity (English), 'Used to form an uncountable noun from an adjective; especially, to form the noun referring to the state, property, or quality of conforming to the adjective's description.'
- derived Serendip (English), 'Alternative form of Serendib.'
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris