serendipity

ser·en·dip·i·ty

noun \ˌser-ən-ˈdi-pə-tē\

Definition of SERENDIPITY

: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for; also : an instance of this

Examples of SERENDIPITY

1. They found each other by pure serendipity.
2. As they leapfrog from South Africa to Singapore in search of local delicacies, the authors prove again and again that serendipity is the traveler's strongest ally: many of their most memorable meals issue from the hands of generous strangers … —Sarah Karnasiewicz, Saveur, June/July 2008
3. If reporters fail to keep these files, they seldom luck into bigger stories. Their investigative work typically happens only by design—analyzing the news, for instance—not by serendipity. —Michael J. Bugeja, Editor & Publisher, 13 Jan. 2003
4. A week earlier, the doctor would have had no recourse but to make an incision in the baby's skin to get to a vein—a precarious option now, since time was running short and it would take nearly half an hour to assemble the necessary equipment. But in an extraordinary bit of serendipity, Hanson had attended a seminar on emergency medical care for children just a week before. —David Ruben, Parenting, December/January 1996

Origin of SERENDIPITY

from its possession by the heroes of the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip

First Known Use: 1754