Well attestedNamed through a historical place-name
serendipity
noun · first attested 1754
The word was invented from an old Arabic name for Sri Lanka.
The knack of making a happy discovery by accident.
Record
- Relationship
- Named through a historical place-name
- Confidence
- Well attestedThe place link is the standard scholarly account.
- Attested
- 1754
- Part of speech
- noun
Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.
- Step 1
Sri Lanka
- In English
serendipity
Horace Walpole coined it in a letter, building on Serendip, a name for the island used in Arabic and Persian writing. The island's name changed; the coinage stayed.