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”.
She read my fortune. Apparently I will have a good love life this week, but I will have a bad week for money.
you, who men's fortunes in their faces read1647, Abraham Cowley, “My Fate”, in The Mistress:
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[…]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.1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
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A prediction or set of predictions about a person's future provided by a fortune teller.
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A small slip of paper with wise or vaguely prophetic words printed on it, baked into a fortune cookie.
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The arrival of something in a sudden or unexpected manner; chance; accident.
'Tis more by fortune, lady, than by merit.c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:
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Good luck.
fame and fortune
Fortune favors the brave.
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There is a tide in the affairs of men / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.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]:
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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.
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Her fortune is estimated at 3 million dollars.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter I, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 1:
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A large amount of money.
That car must be worth a fortune! How could you afford it?
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.2015 June 24, “Top 10 Chinese Knockoffs of Foreign Products” (00:02:53 from the start), in China Uncensored, spoken by himself (Chris Chappell), New Tang Dynasty Television, via New Tang Dynasty Television:
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”.
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.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:
It fortuned one night that the Sultan purposed setting out on a journey next morning, […]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: