vicissitude

English

Etymology

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

• IPA^(key): [vɨˈsɪs.ɨˌt(j)u(ː)d], [vaɪˈsɪs.ɨˌt(j)u(ː)d]
• Hyphenation: vi‧cis‧si‧tude

Noun

vicissitude (plural vicissitudes)

1. 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

2. (often in the plural) A change, especially in one's life or fortunes.
   • Seneca

     Happy is the man who can endure the highest and lowest fortune. He who has endured such vicissitudes with equanimity has deprived misfortune of its power.

   • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, vii, 351,

     And God made.. the Stars, and set them in the firmament of Heaven to illuminate the Earth, and rule the day in their vicissitude...

   • 2003, "US redeployments afoot in Asia", Christian Science Monitor, Nov. 18, Pg. 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.

   • 2005, Tony Judt, “Culture Wars”, in Postwar: A history of Europe since 1945, London: Vintage Books, published 2010, →ISBN:

     Engaged intellectuals were obliged to take a stand on the side of progress and History, whatever the occasional moral vicissitudes.

Translations

regular change or succession from one thing to another

• Arabic: تبدل m
• Catalan: vicissitud (ca) f
• Dutch: onbestendigheid
• Finnish: vaihtelu (fi)
• French: vicissitude (fr) f
• Georgian: ცვალებადობა (cvalebadoba)
• German: Unbeständigkeit f, Wandel (de) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: tréimhseacht f
• Italian: vicissitudine (it) f
• Latin: vicissitūdō f
• Portuguese: vicissitude (pt) f
• Russian: сме́на (ru) f (sména), чередова́ние (ru) n (čeredovánije)
• Spanish: vicisitud (es) f
• Turkish: değişim (tr), istikrarsızlık

a change, especially in one's life or fortunes

• Arabic: تقلب الأحوال m
• Catalan: vicissitud (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 沧桑 (zh) (cāngsāng)

• Dutch: wisselvalligheid (nl)
• Finnish: käänne (fi)
• French: vicissitude (fr) f
• Georgian: უკუღმართობა (uḳuɣmartoba)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Wandel (de) m, Wechsel (de) m, Veränderung (de) f
• Italian: vicissitudine (it) f
• Latin: vicissitūdō f
• Portuguese: vicissitude (pt) f
• Romanian: vicisitudine (ro) f
• Russian: превра́тность (ru) f (prevrátnostʹ), непостоя́нство (ru) f (nepostojánstvo)
• Spanish: vicisitud (es) f
• Turkish: değişim (tr)

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

• Latin: ^{(please verify)} vicissitudo
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Further reading

• “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.

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French vicissitude.

Noun

vicissitude f (plural vicissitudes, diminutive vicissitudetje n)

1. vicissitude

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vicissitūdō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vi.si.si.tyd/

Noun

vicissitude f (plural vicissitudes)

1. vicissitude

Further reading

• “vicissitude”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Portuguese

Noun

vicissitude f (plural vicissitudes)

1. vicissitude (regular change or succession from one thing to another)
2. an unfortunate occurrence

Synonyms

• (unfortunate occurrence): revés, infortúnio