vicissitude
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle French vicissitude, from Latin vicissitūdō (“change”), from vicissim (“on the other hand, in turn”), from vicis (“change, vicissitude”), whence Spanish vez and French fois (“time (as in "next time"), occurrence”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
vicissitude (plural vicissitudes)
- Regular change or succession from one thing to another, or one part of a cycle to the next; alternation; mutual succession; interchange.
- Synonym: (informal) ups and downs
- (often in the plural) A change, especially in one's life or fortunes.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
- And God made.. the Stars, and set them in the firmament of Heaven to illuminate the Earth, and rule the day in their vicissitude...
- 1789, George Washington, First Inaugural Address:
- Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order, and received on the fourteenth day of the present month.
- 2003 November 18, “US redeployments afoot in Asia”, in Christian Science Monitor, page 6:
- The vicissitudes of war in Iraq cast a dreary backdrop for Donald Rumsfeld's first visit to Asian military allies since he became US Defense Secretary in 2001.
- September 8 2022, Stephen Bates, “Queen Elizabeth II obituary”, in The Guardian[1]:
- Despite all the monarchy’s vicissitudes, however, Queen Elizabeth II, a figure from another age, who was stiff and formal and not noticeably particularly warm and empathetic, had won and retained the affection, loyalty and support of the overwhelming majority of the British public, who respected her for her diligence and sense of duty.
Related terms edit
Translations edit
regular change or succession from one thing to another
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a change, especially in one's life or fortunes
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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References edit
- ^ “vicissitude”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Further reading edit
- “vicissitude”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “vicissitude”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “vicissitude”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Dutch edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from French vicissitude.
Noun edit
vicissitude f (plural vicissitudes, diminutive vicissitudetje n)
French edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Latin vicissitūdō.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
vicissitude f (plural vicissitudes)
Further reading edit
- “vicissitude”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Portuguese edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Latin vicissitūdō.
Pronunciation edit
- Hyphenation: vi‧cis‧si‧tu‧de
Noun edit
vicissitude f (plural vicissitudes)
- vicissitude (regular change or succession from one thing to another)
- an unfortunate occurrence
- Synonyms: revés, infortúnio