Serendib
/ˈsɛr.ən.dɪb/noun
An old literary name for Sri Lanka, especially in medieval and early modern English.
Did you know?Serendib entered European languages through Arabic and Persian geographical traditions, and its most famous modern descendant, *serendipity*, was coined by Horace Walpole from a fairy-tale about the “Three Princes of Serendip.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient/Medieval Persian and Arabic
Persian/Arabic
Sarandīb / Serendīb
“A name used for Sri Lanka in Islamic geographical tradition.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
Serendib
“A learned geographic name for the island of Sri Lanka.”
16th–17th Century
English
Serendib
“An exotic literary and cartographic name for Sri Lanka.”
18th Century
English
serendipity
“The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident, coined from the fairy-tale title The Three Princes of Serendip.”
Modern English
English
Serendib
“Archaic or poetic name for Sri Lanka.”
Explore more surprising origins