Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SERENDIPITOUS
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connect today's word to others:
The island nation of Sri Lanka used to be called "Serendip," a word derived from Sanskrit which means "Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island." (Lovely, right?) Serendip provides the setting for the story "The Three Princes of Serendip," and those princes were not just smart but unbelievably lucky.
And what lucky, joyful word comes from their story? Serendipity, of course, meaning "accidental, unexpected, random, wonderful, happy luck."
So many of you readers have told me that serendipity is your favorite word, and I adore it, too. We can think of any blessing in our lives and trace the role that serendipity played in delivering it to us.
Let's recall some other words rooted in both story and the names of countries--in this case, imaginary countries:
Something La___an is extremely absurd and impractical.
And something lil______an is teeny-tiny.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"SERENDIPITOUS"
Serendipity is good luck that comes as a surprise.
And someone or something serendipitous is lucky in a surprising, wonderful way.
Pronunciation:
sair un DIP it us
Part of speech:
Adjective.
(Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late."
They can be used in two ways:
1. Right before a noun, as in "a serendipitous thing" or "a serendipitous person."
2. After a linking verb, as in "It was serendipitous" or "He was serendipitous.")
Other forms:
Serendipity, serendipitously.
Serendipitists are people blessed with serendipity.
How to use it:
In general, if you think your listeners might not know the fancy word you're about to say, then I suggest picking a plain one instead; it's pretty obnoxious to drop a fancy word like bait to see if people ask you what it means. But "serendipity" and "serendipitous" are so beautiful, and so well-loved, that I say: go for it, use them indiscriminately, and even invite the opportunity to teach them to anyone who'll listen.
You might talk about serendipitous people and personalities, but more often you'll talk about serendipitous meetings, offers, discoveries, and advancements; serendipitous connections and coincidences; serendipitous stories, series of events, and sets of circumstances; and a (perhaps figuratively) serendipitous alignment of the stars.
examples:
Thanks to a serendipitous connection--her college friend in Chicago had been my high school friend in Kissimmee--we forged a new friendship in Hilo.
Reflecting on her marriage, Ann Druyan acknowledged the serendipity of it all: "That pure chance could be so generous & so kind... That we could find each other... in the vastness of space & the immensity of time."
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "serendipitous" means when you can explain it without saying "like a happy accident" or "Eureka!"
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "I stumbled serendipitously on (something wonderful) as (I was doing something unrelated)."
Example: "I stumbled serendipitously on the perfect coloring app for my preschooler as I was looking for a photo editing app for myself."
before you review:
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
Our game this month is "A Vocabulary of Movie Quotes."
Jean Picker Firstenberg at the American Film Institute (AFI) says, "Great movie quotes become part of our cultural vocabulary." I believe it! I bet you can recall, verbatim, any of the AFI's "100 Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time" if all I give you is a single word from the quote.
For example, if I give you the word KANSAS, I bet you can recite this: "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," from The Wizard of Oz (1939).
I'll share each answer in the following issue. And we’ll work our way forward in time, starting with the oldest movies. Let’s play!
From the previous issue: From a 1968 film, what's the famous quote that includes the word POD?
Answer: From 2001: A Space Odyssey: "Open the pod bay doors, please, HAL."
Try this today: From a 1971 film, what's the famous quote that includes the word LUCKY?
review today's word:
1. The opposite of SERENDIPITOUS is
A. CHAOTIC
B. IMPROMPTU
C. UNFORTUNATE
2. Hoping to spark the kind of serendipitous _____ that would lead to _____, the university reorganized its offices.
A. fairness .. better cooperation within departments
B. interactions .. creative collaboration across departments
C. space, order, and peace .. greater efficiency among researchers
Answers are below.
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. C
2. B
The island nation of Sri Lanka used to be called "Serendip," a word derived from Sanskrit which means "Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island." (Lovely, right?) Serendip provides the setting for the story "The Three Princes of Serendip," and those princes were not just smart but unbelievably lucky.
"SERENDIPITOUS" Serendipity is good luck that comes as a surprise. Part of speech: Other forms:
Thanks to a serendipitous connection--her college friend in Chicago had been my high school friend in Kissimmee--we forged a new friendship in Hilo.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "serendipitous" means when you can explain it without saying "like a happy accident" or "Eureka!"
Fill in the blanks: "I stumbled serendipitously on (something wonderful) as (I was doing something unrelated)."
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of SERENDIPITOUS is
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |