What does vicissitude mean?

Answer 1

"vicissitude: n. A change or variation." This is wrong. Vicissitude is not mere change nor variation. A change is a noun and is the loosest possible adjective, noun or verb used in formal and informal English while variation denotes a kind of change, itself also broad and having several senses and usages.

Vicissitude is a complicated sounding word and is not one we throw into any old conversation if we just want to say change. If we want to say change, then the word itself is there for that reason. If you are looking for a way to sound more stylish when communicating, then be prepared to get an education instead of just consulting a thesaurus in hopes of replacing every word you know with a complicated sounding word, as though that were stylish communication or helped communication in general.

According to Merriam Webster's third New International Unabridged dictionary, the etymology of vicissitude comes from Latin, vicissim, meaning, "in turn", and later in Fr., vicis meant "change," "alternation," "stead") plus, of course, the suffix, -tude.

As you can see from the etyma, which are the meanings of the word in its original language, there were different senses and change was one of them. Etyma, again, reflect the senses of the words in the language from which the word comes, and are not the definitions or usages of the word in modern English, at all. Often, university students who memorize Greek and Latin root words think that modern words can be rarified down to the senses reflected in the classic languages, which is not true.

According to Merriam Webster's third new International unabridged, there are two senses to vicissitude, both senses having subordinate senses.

The first sense is,

1a: The quality or state of being changeable or in flux: MUTABILITY <the * of human condition>

b: natural change or mutation: the rise and decline of phenomena: the successive alterations visible in nature or in human affairs < the *s of time and chance have left only 9 of the 30 trees. Amer. Guide Series: Mich.> 2a: an accident of fortune: a shift of luck or vagary of change: a fluctuation in condition (as of wealth, prosperity, or happines) <lovers not only faithful but patient in the face of remarkable *s. Claudia Cassidy> b: alternating change: succession < such alternations of energy and interia, such sudden *s of greatness and decay. Irving Babbitt>

As you can see from 1a, the citation seems to come philosophy or science. In the second sense, 1b, it seems to come from a publication about landscaping or the like, rather than informal, spoken English. In the third sense, it seems very stylish in what seems to be a novel, which is of course not spoken, everyday language but language used specifically for entertainment or education, etc. Finally the last sense seems to be a context of science, maybe physics or the like.

As you can see then, the prestigous authority, Merriam Webster's third new International Unabridged dictionary contextualizes the word in very formal English and not as a mere synonym for change or variation. It does, however, compare the noun to difficulty, saying that vicissitude can be used to mean something obstructing one's goal and demanding effort and endurance to overcome. Vicissitude, in this connection, applies to a difficulty or hardship incident to life or a career or course of action <the dwarfing *s of poverty. Frances Hackett> <the *s of living, such as faulty diets, infections, intoxications, traumata, emotional stresses, overwork, laziness. A.J. Carlson & E.J. Stieglitz> <the *s of political persecution and exile. Times Lit. Supp.>

According to Visual Thesaurus, vicissitude is compared to four synonyms, which are mutableness or mutability and fluctuation or variation. Accordinly, vicissitude in the sense of 'fluctuation or variation' is defined as 'a variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something. In the sense of 'mutableness or mutability' it means 'mutability in life or nature (esp successive alternation from one condition to anoter)'.

As you can see from the dictionary and thesaurus, the meanings of the word reflect scientific, or formal contexts and not the broadness or simplicity of the usage and meaning of the words 'change' and 'variation'. This means that one can expect to see vicissitude in novels or, for example, literature on evolution, sociology, history, or the like. Using vicissitude outside these contexts will likely lead to communication difficulties and possible criticism.