It's Merriam-Webster's word of the day for March 26th.

Today's word is Kismet.

Today's word is Kismet, also pronounced Kismet and spelled K-I-S-M-E-T.

Kismet is a noun. It refers to a power that is believed to control what happens in the future. It's synonymous with both

the words fate and destiny. Here's the word used in a sentence from the LA Times.

I'd been a fan of Fantasia since she lay from the LA Times.

I'd been a fan of Fantasia since she laid on that floor on American Idol and sang

Summertime because I swear she was singing to me.

I voted for her until my finger was numb. I've always been a

fan of hers and she says the same thing about me. We always wanted to meet each

other. It was Kismet. So it was easy, the chemistry was natural.

Is it your fate to tie Macromay while drinking coffee and eating sherbet in a minaret?

That would be an unusual destiny, but if it turns out to be your Kismet, you will owe much to Turkish and Arabic.

We borrowed Kismet from Turkish in the 1800s, but it ultimately comes from the Arabic word Kizma, meaning portion or lot.

Several other terms in our bizarre opening question, namely Macramay, coffee, sherbet, and minaret have roots in those languages too.

In the case of Macromae and minaret, there is a little French influence as well.

Coffee and macromae also have Italian relations and

Sherbert has an ancestor in a Persian name for a type of cold drink.

With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.

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