Word of the Day: Vicissitude
vi-cis-si-tude / vəˈsisəˌt(y)o͞od
noun
- the state or quality of being changeable; mutability
The greatest vicissitude in things amongst men, is the vicissitude of sects and religions.
Francis Bacon, 1561-1626
- plural, alternation; succession
Such are the vicissitudes of the world, through all its parts, that day and night, labor and rest, hurry and retirement, endear each other; such are the changes that keep the mind in action: we desire, we pursue, we obtain, we are satiated; we desire something else and begin a new pursuit.
Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784
- a fluctuation of condition or state
Joy is a spiritual element that gives vicissitudes unity and significance.
Helen Keller, 1880-1968