[vi.cis.si.tude] n [MF, fr. L vicissitudo, fr. vicissim in turn, fr. vicis change, alternation--more at week] (ca. 1576) 1 a: the quality or state of being changeable: mutability b: natural change or mutation visible in nature or in human affairs
2. a: a favorable or unfavorable event or situation that occurs by chance: a fluctuation of state or condition "the ~s of daily life" b: a difficulty or hardship attendant on a way of life, a career, or a course of action and usu. beyond one's control c: alternating change: succession