Vicissitude
[vi-SISS-i-tood]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, early 17th century
1.
A change of circumstances over time, especially in one’s life
2.
Mutability or change from one thing to another, or in a cycle
Examples of Vicissitude in a sentence
"No one can escape the vicissitudes of life and we all must adapt to the changes they bring."
"Plants and animals are continually going through states of vicissitude and entering new stages of life."
About Vicissitude
A permutation is one of any possible variations in which something could be arranged. Permutations can be changed up, and vicissitude concerns the changeability of something. They’re not quite interchangeable, but they certainly are synonyms.
Did you Know?
"Vicissitude" is one of those words with many slightly different variations, but all of them basically mean the same thing: change. It can have a negative connotation, referring to the vicissitudes of life such as death, illness, and hardship. Or it can be used simply to describe changes in the state of something over time. Whenever you want to describe fluctuations in life or nature, use "vicissitude."