From the M-W Editors
kismet was our Word of the Day on 03/19/2016. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Examples of kismet in a Sentence
he always said that it was kismet that they met at a showing of their favorite movie
Recent Examples of kismet from the Web
-
For the Paris tattoo artist and painter Sunny Buick, finding UkeHut felt like kismet.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kismet'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Is it your fate to tie macramé while drinking coffee and eating sherbet in a minaret? That would be an unusual destiny, but if it turns out to be your kismet, you will owe much to Turkish and Arabic. We borrowed kismet from Turkish in the 1800s, but it ultimately derives from the Arabic qisma, meaning "portion" or "lot." Several other terms in our bizarre opening question (namely, macramé, coffee, sherbet, and minaret) have roots in those languages too. In the case of macramé and minaret, there is a little French influence as well. Coffee and macramé also have Italian relations, and sherbet has an ancestor in a Persian name for a type of cold drink.
Origin and Etymology of kismet
Turkish, from Arabic qisma portion, lot
First Known Use: 1834
Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms
Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra
KISMET Defined for English Language Learners
kismet
playDefinition of kismet for English Language Learners
-
: a power that is believed to control what happens in the future
Learn More about kismet
-
See words that rhyme with kismet Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for kismet
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up kismet? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!