serendipity

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ser·en·dip·i·ty

(ser'en-dip'i-tē),

A knack for discovery involving a combination of accident and wisdom while pursuing something else; in science, finding one thing while looking for something else, as in Fleming's discovery of penicillin.

[coined by Horace Walpole and relates to The Three Princes of Serendip, fr. alternate spelling of Serendib, ancient name for Sri Lanka]

serendipity

[ser′əndip′itē]

Etymology: Serendip, author Horace Walpole's mythic land of pleasant surprises

the act of accidental discovery. A number of important medications have been created through serendipity, such as the discovery of antidepressant activity in iproniazid, which was originally developed to treat tuberculosis.

ser·en·dip·i·ty

(ser'en-dip'i-tē)

A knack for discovery involving a combination of accident and wisdom while pursuing something else; in science, finding one thing while looking for something else.

ser·en·dip·i·ty

(ser'en-dip'i-tē)

A knack for discovery involving combined accident and wisdom while pursuing something else.

serendipity

happy finding of an unexpected object or solution while searching for something else.

Mentioned in ?

Ulysses syndrome

References in periodicals archive ?

The episode featuring Serendipity Antiques will be broadcast on BBC1 this evening at 4.

Ghostly goings-on as TV crew visits antiques shop

We looked at the merits of Project Serendipity and we believe this is a God-sent mission.

Better social security for all

After going through these stories, the researchers have found that serendipity is more than an accident.

You really do make your own luck

They identify eight skills necessary to create "planned serendipity," foster conditions for serendipity, and attract it: maximizing physical and conceptual movement in the workspace; preparation (the ability to link together unconnected events, information, and people); divergence (minimizing fixed plans and goals to allow for changing circumstances); committing to the right option); activation (creating new activities to open up awareness of all possibilities); optimizing the number and quality of connections with others; permeability (replacing the rigid walls most organizations have with others and creating an open exchange of information); and attraction (projecting purpose into the world).

Get lucky; how to put planned serendipity to work for you and your business

Chasing serendipity is a counterintuitive proposition for risk managers tasked with reducing uncertainty in their companies.

Get Lucky: How to Put Planned Serendipity to Work for You and Your Business

So what goes into Serendipity 3's high-priced hero?

World's Most Expensive Hamburger: Meet 'Le Burger Extravagant' From NYC's Serendpity 3 [PHOTO]

Mae Katy yn hen gyfarwydd --'r c'r gan ei bod wedi rhannu llwyfan -- nhw sawl gwaith, yn ogystal -- pherfformio ochr yn ochr -- sawl aelod yn y c'r Serendipity.

ONLY MEN ALOUD S4C, Dydd Iau, 9pm

Bydd y drwmpedwraig Alison Balsom yn perfformio fersiwn arbennig o'r Vocalise gan Rachmaninov a bydd cr Serendipity dan areiniad arweinydd Only Med Aloud

Pigion Y DYDD

A while back, CBS Sunday Morning had a wonderful segment about how many of today's most interesting products came from happy accidents--otherwise known as serendipity.

Rainone's rules: let's think about happy accidents for a change, instead of the train wrecks

It is true that the "browsing for books" experience is different, but I feel there is an equal degree of serendipity online.

Plenty serendipitous!

Serendipity is the wonderful experience of stumbling upon something you didn't know you wanted to know.

Serendipity, echo chambers, and the front page: as readers on the Web, we may filter out 'perspectives that might challenge our assumptions and preconceptions about what's important and newsworthy.'

It was serendipity of a sort that befell New Hampshire and our recipient when tonight's recipient of the BIA Lifetime Achievement Award was sent here by the telephone company to head its operations as president for New Hampshire in 1986.