Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fortune” come from?

Fortune comes from Middle English fortune, from Old French fortune, from Latin fortuna, derived from Latin fors meaning chance or fate, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.

fortune (English): Destiny, especially favorable; A prediction or...

Definitions

  1. Destiny, especially favorable; A prediction or...

Ancestry of “fortune”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfortunefortune
2Old Frenchfortune—
3Latinfortūna—
4Latinfōrs—
5Proto-Italicfortis—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰértisthe act of carrying, bearing
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰer-to bear, carry

Words derived from “fortune”

  • misfortune
  • misfortunate
  • fortuneless
  • misfortuned
  • misfortunately
  • befortune
  • fortunize
  • megafortune
  • ill-fortune
  • wanfortune
  • fortune-teller
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- →