The English author Horace Walpole coined this word in a letter written in 1754, saying he had based it on a Persian fairy tale called “The Three Princes of Serendip.” He explained that the tale’s heroes “were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.” Serendip is another form of Sarandip, the old Persian name for Sri Lanka. In spite of its exotic origins, the word suggests something of the happily amateur temperament of the British, which always seems to allow space for creativity to arise as if by chance. Did you know the word “serendipity” has no equivalent in other languages? Here are some more words unique to English.