small fortune

English edit

WOTD – 7 March 2021

Etymology edit

From small +‎ fortune (“one’s wealth; the amount of money one has, especially if it is vast; large amount of money”), suggesting a sizeable sum of money but not all of one’s wealth.

Pronunciation edit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /smɔːl ˈfɔːtʃuːn/
(General American) IPA^(key): /smɔl ˈfɔɹtʃən/, /-tʃun/
Hyphenation: small for‧tune

Noun edit

small fortune (plural small fortunes)

(colloquial, hyperbolic) A large amount of money, especially one paid for something.
Synonyms: bundle, (both informal) mint, (slang) pile

Divorcing my wife cost me a small fortune.

Translations edit

large amount of money

Galician: feixe de cartos m
Hungarian: kisebb vagyon