və̇ˈsisəˌtüd, -ə.ˌtyüd sometimes chiefly Brit vīˈ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French, from Latin vicissitudo, from vicissim in turn (from vicis change, alternation, stead) + -tudo -tude — more at week
1.
a. : the quality or state of being changeable or in flux : mutability
the vicissitude of human condition
b. : natural change or mutation : the rise and decline of phenomena : the successive alterations visible in nature or in human affairs
the vicissitudes of time and chance have left only 9 of the 30 trees — American Guide Series: Michigan
2.
a. : an accident of fortune : a shift of luck or vagary of chance : a fluctuation in condition (as of wealth, prosperity, or happiness)
lovers not only faithful but patient in the face of remarkable vicissitudes — Claudia Cassidy
b. : alternating change : succession
such alternations of energy and inertia, such sudden vicissitudes of greatness and decay — Irving Babbitt
Synonyms: see difficulty