English
fortune
Fortune comes from Latin fortuna ‘fate, luck’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’root as named
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰr̥-tew-n-éh₂reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fortūnāreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfortuna‘fate, luck’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fortune
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1526same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’root as named
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰr̥-tew-n-éh₂reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fortūnāreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfortuna‘fate, luck’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fortune
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1526same form
Earliest quotation: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “Thẽ the heerdmẽ⸝ fleed and went there ways into…”
The story
The plural form fortunae meant “possessions”, which also gave fortune the meaning of “riches”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
different, offer, difference, bar, reference, transfer, bear, prefer, broad, birth, bread, relative, suffer, translation, relation, relate, burden, extraordinary, barrel, differ, barn, referendum, frustration, translate, fury, baron, breeze, referee, bark, bore, fertility, broom, fertile, phosphate, extravagant, barrow, embargo, fret, berth, defer, 159 more
Today it means
noun Destiny, especially favorable.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / fortune