Added 3 October 2026
luck
/lʌk/ noun
In Latin: fortūna, fors Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about luck at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Something that happens to someone by chance, a chance occurrence.
The raffle is just a matter of luck.
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A favourable chance occurrence.
Sometimes it takes a bit of luck to get success.
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A superstitious feeling that brings fortune or success.
He blew on the dice for luck.
verb
Origin
From Middle English luk, lukke, from Middle Dutch luc, geluc, gelucke (“good luck, fortune”) or Middle Low German lücke, gelücke (“lot, fortune, fate, luck”), of obscure origin; perhaps ultimately related to German Lücke (“gap, opening”) in the sense of "space or opportunity", hence "chance". Cognate with West Frisian gelok (“luck”), Saterland Frisian Gluk (“luck”), Dutch luk, geluk (“luck, happiness”), Dutch Low Saxon luk (“luck”), German Low German and German Glück (“luck, good fortune, happiness”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål lykke (“luck, happiness”), Norwegian Nynorsk lukke (“luck, happiness”), Swedish lycka (“luck, happiness”), Icelandic lukka (“happiness”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)