Where does “serendipitous” come from?
Serendipitous derives from English serendipity, formed from English Serendip with the French suffix -ité, ultimately from Latin -itas and Proto-Indo-European -it-, expressing a quality or state.
serendipitous (English): by serendipity; by unexpected good fortune; good,...
Definitions
- by serendipity; by unexpected good fortune; good,...
Ancestry of “serendipitous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -ous | Used to form adjectives from nouns, to denote... |
| 2 | Middle English | -ous | — |
| 3 | Old French | -us | -ous, used for forming adjectives |
| 4 | Latin | -ōsus | — |
| 5 | Old Latin | -ōssus | — |
Words derived from “serendipitous”