fortune

See also: Fortune and fortuné

English

Etymology

From Middle English fortune, from Old French fortune, from Latin fortuna (“fate, luck”). The plural form fortunae meant “possessions”, which also gave fortune the meaning of “riches”.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔːt͡ʃuːn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfoɹt͡ʃun/, /-t͡ʃən/

• Audio (US, California)

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)t͡ʃuːn, -ɔː(ɹ)tʃən
• Hyphenation: for‧tune

Noun

fortune (countable and uncountable, plural fortunes)

1. Destiny, especially favorable.

   She read my fortune. Apparently I will have a good love life this week, but I will have a bad week for money.

   • 1647, Abraham Cowley, “My Fate”, in The Mistress:

     you, who men's fortunes in their faces read

   • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:

     […] his lordship was out of humour. That was the way Chollacombe described as knaggy an old gager as ever Charles had had the ill-fortune to serve.

2. A prediction or set of predictions about a person's future provided by a fortune teller.
3. A small slip of paper with wise or vaguely prophetic words printed on it, baked into a fortune cookie.
4. The arrival of something in a sudden or unexpected manner; chance; accident.
   • c. 1607–1608, William Shakeſpeare, The Late, And much admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: Imprinted at London for Henry Goſſon,  […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act 2, scene 3]:

     'Tis more by fortune, lady, than by merit.

5. Good luck.

   fame and fortune

   Fortune favors the brave.

   • 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

     There is a tide in the affairs of men / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.

6. One's wealth; the amount of money one has, especially if it is vast.

   He's amassed a small fortune working in the Middle East.

   My vast fortune was a result of inheritance and stock market nous.

   Her fortune is estimated at 3 million dollars.

7. A large amount of money.

   That car must be worth a fortune! How could you afford it?

   • 2015 June 24, “Top 10 Chinese Knockoffs of Foreign Products” (00:02:53 from the start), in China Uncensored‎^[1], spoken by himself (Chris Chappell), New Tang Dynasty Television, via New Tang Dynasty Television:

     Why spend a small fortune on Puma when you could buy Numa, Tuna or Pigg? And why buy Adidas when you can buy Adidos or Avivas? Nike, when there's Nire or Hike? Calvin Klein, when clearly, Calvim Klain or Cavern Kernel are just as good? But remember, after a good workout, be sure to clean up with some Okay shampoo.

Synonyms

• (the arrival of something in a sudden or unexpected manner): hap, luck; see also Thesaurus:luck
• (one's wealth): riches; see also Thesaurus:wealth

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of "good luck"): doom, misfortune

Derived terms

• bracelets of fortune
• every man is the architect of his own fortune
• fortunate
• fortune cookie
• fortune favors the bold, fortune favours the bold
• fortune favors the brave, fortune favours the brave
• fortune favors the daring
• fortune favours the daring
• fortune-hunter, fortune hunter
• fortune-seeker, fortune seeker
• fortune stick
• fortune-tell
• fortune-teller
• fortune-telling, fortune telling
• good fortune
• hostage to fortune
• ill-fortune
• make a fortune
• seek one's fortune
• small fortune
• soldier of fortune
• stroke of fortune
• unfortunate
• wheel of fortune

 

Related terms

• fortuitous
• fortuity

Translations

destiny

• Azerbaijani: tale (az), qismət (az), qədər (az), müqəddarat
• Basque: adur (eu), zori
• Belarusian: до́ля f (dólja), лёс m (ljos)
• Bulgarian: съдба́ (bg) f (sǎdbá)
• Catalan: fortuna (ca) f, destí (ca) m, fat (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 命運／命运 (zh) (mìngyùn), 氣數／气数 (zh) (qìshu), 宿命 (zh) (sùmìng), 運命／运命 (zh) (yùnmìng)

• Czech: osud (cs) m
• Dutch: lot (nl) n, noodlot (nl) n, (in fixed expressions) fortuin (nl) n
• Esperanto: sorto (eo)
• Faroese: lagna f
• Finnish: kohtalo (fi)
• French: destin (fr)
• Galician: sorte f, fortuna f
• German: Schicksal (de) n, Glück (de) n
• Greek: τύχη (el) f (týchi)

  Ancient: τύχη f (túkhē)

• Hebrew: גּוֹרָל (he) m (gorál)
• Hungarian: végzet (hu), sors (hu)
• Icelandic: örlög (is) n pl, auðna (is) f
• Interlingua: fortuna (ia)
• Irish: cinniúint (ga) f
• Italian: sorte (it) f, destino (it) m, fortuna (it) f
• Japanese: 運命 (ja) (うんめい, unmei), 宿命 (ja) (しゅくめい, shukumei)
• Korean: 운명(運命) (ko) (unmyeong)
• Latin: fortuna f
• Latvian: liktenis (lv) m
• Occitan: fortuna (oc) f
• Polish: fortuna (pl) f
• Portuguese: destino (pt) m, fortuna (pt) f, sina (pt) f
• Romanian: soartă (ro) n
• Russian: судьба́ (ru) f (sudʹbá), до́ля (ru) f (dólja), у́часть (ru) f (účastʹ), рок (ru) m (rok), уде́л (ru) m (udél)
• Slovak: osud m
• Spanish: fortuna (es) f
• Ukrainian: до́ля (uk) f (dólja)
• Volapük: fät (vo), benofät (vo), mifät (vo)
• Welsh: ffortiwn (cy) f, ffortiynau (cy) f pl
• Yiddish: גורל m (goyrl)

a chance

• Bulgarian: късме́т (bg) m (kǎsmét), шанс (bg) m (šans)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 機會／机会 (zh) (jīhuì)

• Dutch: kans (nl) c, geluk (nl) n
• Finnish: sattuma (fi)
• German: Glück (de) n
• Hungarian: véletlen (hu)
• Interlingua: fortuna (ia)
• Japanese: 機会 (ja) (きかい, kikai), チャンス (ja) (chansu)
• Korean: 기회(機會) (ko) (gihoe)
• Latin: fortuna f
• Ojibwe: zhawendaagozi
• Ottoman Turkish: بخت (baht)
• Portuguese: chance (pt) f
• Romanian: şansă m
• Russian: возмо́жность (ru) f (vozmóžnostʹ), шанс (ru) m (šans)
• Slovak: náhoda f, šanca f
• Spanish: fortuna (es) f
• Swedish: tillfällighet (sv) c

good luck

• Azerbaijani: bəxt (az), iqbal (az), nəsib
• Belarusian: уда́ча f (udáča), шча́сце n (ščáscje), фарту́на f (fartúna)
• Bulgarian: ща́стие (bg) n (štástie), сполу́ка (bg) f (spolúka), късме́т (bg) m (kǎsmét)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 好運／好运 (zh) (hǎoyùn), 幸運／幸运 (zh) (xìngyùn), 機緣／机缘 (zh) (jīyuán), 造化 (zh) (zàohua), 福 (zh) (fú)

• Czech: štěstí (cs) n
• Dutch: geluk (nl) n
• Faroese: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: onni (fi), tuuri (fi) (colloquial)
• French: bonne chance (fr) f
• German: Glück (de) n
• Greek: τύχη (el) f (týchi)

  Ancient: τύχη f (túkhē)

• Hungarian: szerencse (hu)
• Icelandic: gæfa (is) f, lán (is) n
• Ido: fortuno (io)
• Indonesian: keberuntungan (id)
• Ingrian: onni, lykky
• Italian: fortuna (it) f
• Japanese: 幸運 (ja) (こううん, kōun), 福 (ja) (ふく, fuku), 多幸 (ja) (たこう, takō)
• Kazakh: бақ (baq)
• Korean: 재수(財數) (ko) (jaesu), 행운(幸運) (ko) (haeng'un), 부(富) (ko) (bu), 다행(多幸) (ko) (dahaeng)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: نوخشە (nuxşe), خۆشبەخت (xoşbext)

• Latin: fortuna f
• Latvian: laime (lv) f, veiksme f
• Macedonian: среќа f (sreḱa)
• Maori: māngari, māringanui, waimarie, māngaringari
• Norwegian: flaks (no)
• Ojibwe: minose
• Ottoman Turkish: اوغور (uğur), قوت (kut), بخت (baht)
• Persian: بخت (fa) (baxt)
• Polish: szczęście (pl) n
• Portuguese: fortuna (pt) f, fortúnio m, sorte (pt) f
• Quechua: sami
• Romanian: noroc (ro) m
• Russian: уда́ча (ru) f (udáča), форту́на (ru) f (fortúna), везе́ние (ru) n (vezénije), сча́стье (ru) n (sčástʹje)
• Sanskrit: स्वस्ति (sa) n (svasti)
• Scottish Gaelic: àigh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: сре̏ћа f

  Roman: srȅća f

• Slovak: šťastie n
• Slovene: srẹ́ča (sl) f
• Spanish: fortuna (es) f
• Swedish: tur (sv) c
• Thai: โชค (th) (chôok)
• Ukrainian: уда́ча f (udáča), ща́стя (uk) n (ščástja), форту́на f (fortúna)
• Yiddish: גליק n (glik)

lots of riches

• Arabic: ثَرْوَة f (ṯarwa)
• Armenian: հարստություն (hy) (harstutʻyun)
• Belarusian: бага́цце (be) n (baháccje), замо́жнасць f (zamóžnascʹ)
• Bulgarian: бога́тство (bg) n (bogátstvo), състоя́ние (bg) n (sǎstojánie)
• Catalan: fortuna (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 財富／财富 (zh) (cáifù)

• Czech: bohatství (cs) n
• Dutch: fortuin (nl) n, vermogen (nl) n
• Finnish: omaisuus (fi)
• French: fortune (fr)
• Galician: facenda (gl) f, fortuna f
• German: Vermögen (de) n
• Hebrew: הוֹן (he) m (hon)
• Hungarian: vagyon (hu)
• Icelandic: auður (is) m
• Italian: fortuna (it) f, dote (it) f
• Japanese: 富 (ja) (と​み, tomi), 富裕 (ja) (ふゆう, fuyū)
• Korean: 부유(富裕) (ko) (buyu), 부(富) (ko) (bu)
• Latvian: bagātība f, manta f
• Persian: ثروت (fa) (servat)
• Polish: fortuna (pl) f, bogactwo (pl) n, zamożność (pl) f
• Portuguese: fortuna (pt) f
• Romanian: avere (ro) f
• Russian: бога́тство (ru) n (bogátstvo), состоя́ние (ru) n (sostojánije)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бога̀тство n

  Roman: bogàtstvo (sh) n

• Slovak: bohatstvo n
• Slovene: bogastvo (sl) n
• Spanish: fortuna (es) f
• Swedish: förmögenhet (sv) c
• Thai: สมบัติ (th) (sǒm-bàt)
• Turkish: servet (tr)
• Ukrainian: бага́тство (uk) n (bahátstvo), замо́жність (uk) f (zamóžnistʹ)
• Welsh: ffortiwn (cy) f, ffortiynau (cy) f pl
• Yiddish: עשירות n (eshires)

a large amount of money

• Dutch: fortuin (nl) n
• French: pactole (fr) m, magot (fr) m
• Hungarian: vagyon (hu), borsos ár

Verb

fortune (third-person singular simple present fortunes, present participle fortuning, simple past and past participle fortuned)

1. (transitive)
   1. To provide (someone) with a fortune.
   2. To tell the fortune of (someone); to presage.
2. (intransitive, obsolete) To happen, to take place. [14th–19th c.]
   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Gospell off S. Mathew viij:[33], folios x, verso – xi, recto:

     Thẽ the heerdmẽ⸝ fleed and went there ways into the cite⸝ and tolde every thinge⸝ and what had fortuned vnto them that were poſſeſſed of the devyls.

   • 1885, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Tale of Nu̇r al-Din Ali & His Son Badr al-Din Hasan”, in A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], Shammar edition, volume I, [London]: […] Burton Club […], →OCLC, page 195:

     It fortuned one night that the Sultan purposed setting out on a journey next morning, […]

Anagrams

• ten-four

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French fortune, from Old French fortune, borrowed from Latin fortūna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔʁ.tyn/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

fortune f (plural fortunes)

1. fortune; fate, destiny; luck

   revers de fortune ― reversal of fortune

   la fortune sourit aux audacieux ― fortune favours the bold

   chacun est l’artisan de sa fortune ― every man is the architect of his own fortune

   faire contre mauvaise fortune bon cœur ― to grin and bear it

2. fortune, wealth

   coûter une fortune ― to cost an arm and a leg

   faire fortune ― to make a fortune

Derived terms

• de fortune
• fortuné
• infortune

 

Further reading

• “fortune”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /forˈtu.ne/
• Rhymes: -une
• Hyphenation: for‧tù‧ne

Noun

fortune f

1. plural of fortuna

Anagrams

• funtore

Middle English

Etymology

From Old French fortune, from Latin fortuna.

Noun

fortune (plural fortunes)

1. fortune (fate, chance)

Descendants

• English: fortune
  • → Welsh: ffortiwn
• Scots: fortuin

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French fortune, borrowed from Latin fortuna.

Noun

fortune f (plural fortunes)

1. fortune (fate, chance)

Descendants

• → Dutch: fortuin
• French: fortune