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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for June 25, 1999
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serendipity [n. SER-un-DIP-uh-tee]
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Serendipity is the ability to make fortunate discoveries by accident,
without expecting them. Example: "The uncovering of the ancient inscribed
stones was pure serendipity, since I was actually digging a hole for a
fencepost."
This word was coined in 1754 by a British author, Horace Walpole, who said
he based it on an old Persian fairy tale called "The Three Princes Of
Serendip." In this story, the three princes were always making happy,
unexpected discoveries.
In Old Persian, Sarandib was the name of the island we now call Sri Lanka.
The Persian name was a corruption of the Sanskrit Sinhaladvipa (island of
lions), which was also the source of the name of the Sri Lankan language,
Sinhalese.
An essay about serendipity in science:
http://www.scrippsfoundation.org/newscience/essay.html
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