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Added 9 October 2026

fortuitous

/fɔːˈtjuːɪtəs/ adjective

In Latin: fortuītus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fortuitous at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Having no cause or apparent cause.
a causeless miracle
Occurring by happy chance.
profits were enhanced by a fortuitous drop in the cost of raw materials

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin fortuītus (“happening by chance, accidental, random, fortuitous”), from *fortu- (“chance, fortune, luck”) + -ītus (suffix forming adjectives). *Fortu- is thought to be from *fortus, from fors (“chance, luck”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”)) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns). Doublet of fortuity.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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