/ ˌserənˈdɪpəti; NAmE / noun
[ U ] the fact of sth interesting or pleasant happening by chance
► ser·en·dip·it·ous / -ˈdɪpətəs; NAmE / adjective :
serendipitous discoveries
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WORD ORIGIN
1754: coined by Horace Walpole, suggested by The Three Princes of Serendip , the title of a fairy tale in which the heroes “were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of”.