Definitive Jest

Entry:    kismet (n.)

In context:  “Don Gately had sense enough never to work the North Shore again after that.  But he ended up in hideous trouble anyway,  A.D.A.-wise.  It was either bad luck or kismet or so forth.  It was because of a cold, a plain old human rhinovirus.  And not even Don Gately’s cold, is what made him finally stop and question his kismet.”

Definition:  Destiny, fate.

Other:    What a great word!  A more interesting than usual etymology, too:  < Turkish kismet , Persian qismat , < Arabic qisma(t) portion, lot, fate, < qasama to divide.

SNOOT score:   2

Page:   56

Source:   Oxford English Dictionary