vicissitude

[ vi-sis-i-tood, -tyood ]

/ vɪˈsɪs ɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vicissitude ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a change or variation occurring in the course of something.

interchange or alternation, as of states or things.

vicissitudes, successive, alternating, or changing phases or conditions, as of life or fortune; ups and downs: They remained friends through the vicissitudes of 40 years.

regular change or succession of one state or thing to another.

change; mutation; mutability.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of vicissitude

1560–70; < Latin vicissitūdō, equivalent to viciss(im) in turn (perhaps by syncope < *vice-cessim; vice in the place of (see vice³) + cessim giving way, adv. derivative of cēdere to go, proceed) + -i- -i- -tūdō -tude

Related formsvi·cis·si·tu·di·nous, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vicissitude

Howell was a remarkable man, and led a somewhat varied life of vicissitude.
Bygone London|Frederick Ross
Even if you should forget all others, I am myself a sufficient instance of every vicissitude of fortune.
History of Rome, Vol III|Titus Livius
It rises above all vicissitude, and enjoys sweet converse with the unchangeable and eternal Source of all real good.
The Lord's Coming|C. H. (Charles Henry) Mackintosh
Beyond the realm of men lies ever with its joy and sorrow, its vicissitude and change, the domain of the human heart.
The Last Of The Barons, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton

His behaviour at supper was a vicissitude of startings and reveries.
The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, Volume I|Tobias Smollett

British Dictionary definitions for vicissitude

vicissitude

/ (vɪˈsɪsɪˌtjuːd) /

noun

variation or mutability in nature or life, esp successive alternation from one condition or thing to another

a variation in circumstance, fortune, character, etc

Derived Formsvicissitudinary or vicissitudinous, adjective

Word Origin for vicissitude

C16: from Latin vicissitūdō, from vicis change, alternation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for vicissitude

vicissitude

1560s, from Middle French vicissitude (14c.), from Latin vicissitudinem (nominative vicissitudo) "change," from vicissim "changeably, in turn," from vicis "a turn, change" (see vicarious). Related: Vicissitudes.