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fortune

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fortune

 

  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Fortune  \For"tune\,  v.  t.  [OF.  fortuner,  L.  fortunare.  See 
  {Fortune},  n.] 
  1.  To  make  fortunate;  to  give  either  good  or  bad  fortune  to 
  [Obs.]  --Chaucer. 
 
  2.  To  provide  with  a  fortune.  --Richardson. 
 
  3.  To  presage;  to  tell  the  fortune  of  [Obs.]  --Dryden. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Fortune  \For"tune\,  v.  i. 
  To  fall  out  to  happen. 
 
  It  fortuned  the  same  night  that  a  Christian,  serving  a 
  Turk  in  the  camp,  secretely  gave  the  watchmen  warning. 
  --Knolles. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Fortune  \For"tune\  (f[^o]r"t[-u]n;  135),  n.  [F.  fortune,  L. 
  fortuna;  akin  to  fors,  fortis,  chance,  prob.  fr  ferre  to 
  bear,  bring  See  {Bear}  to  support,  and  cf  {Fortuitous}.] 
  1.  The  arrival  of  something  in  a  sudden  or  unexpected  manner; 
  chance;  accident;  luck;  hap;  also  the  personified  or 
  deified  power  regarded  as  determining  human  success, 
  apportioning  happiness  and  unhappiness,  and  distributing 
  arbitrarily  or  fortuitously  the  lots  of  life. 
 
  'T  is  more  by  fortune,  lady,  than  by  merit.  --Shak. 
 
  O  Fortune,  Fortune,  all  men  call  thee  fickle. 
  --Shak. 
 
  2.  That  which  befalls  or  is  to  befall  one  lot  in  life,  or 
  event  in  any  particular  undertaking;  fate;  destiny;  as  to 
  tell  one's  fortune. 
 
  You  who  men's  fortunes  in  their  faces  read. 
  --Cowley. 
 
  3.  That  which  comes  as  the  result  of  an  undertaking  or  of  a 
  course  of  action  good  or  ill  success;  especially, 
  favorable  issue;  happy  event;  success;  prosperity  as 
  reached  partly  by  chance  and  partly  by  effort. 
 
  Our  equal  crimes  shall  equal  fortune  give  --Dryden. 
 
  There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men,  Which  taken 
  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune.  --Shak. 
 
  His  father  dying,  he  was  driven  to  seek  his  fortune. 
  --Swift. 
 
  4.  Wealth;  large  possessions;  large  estate;  riches;  as  a 
  gentleman  of  fortune. 
 
  Syn:  Chance;  accident;  luck;  fate. 
 
  {Fortune  book},  a  book  supposed  to  reveal  future  events  to 
  those  who  consult  it  --Crashaw. 
 
  {Fortune  hunter},  one  who  seeks  to  acquire  wealth  by 
  marriage. 
 
  {Fortune  teller},  one  who  professes  to  tell  future  events  in 
  the  life  of  another. 
 
  {Fortune  telling},  the  practice  or  art  of  professing  to 
  reveal  future  events  in  the  life  of  another. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  fortune 
  n  1:  an  unknown  and  unpredictable  phenomenon  that  causes  an  event 
  to  result  one  way  rather  than  another;  "bad  luck  caused 
  his  downfall";  "it  was  a  chance  meeting"  [syn:  {luck},  {chance}, 
  {hazard}] 
  2:  a  large  amount  of  wealth  or  prosperity 
  3:  an  unknown  and  unpredictable  phenomenon  that  leads  to  a 
  favorable  outcome;  "it  was  my  good  luck  to  be  there"; 
  "they  say  luck  is  a  lady";  "it  was  as  if  fortune  guided 
  his  hand"  [syn:  {luck}] 
  4:  your  overall  circumstances  or  condition  in  life  (including 
  everything  that  happens  to  you):  "whatever  my  fortune  may 
  be";  "deserved  a  better  fate";  "has  a  happy  lot";  "the 
  luck  of  the  Irish";  "a  victim  of  circumstances";  "success 
  that  was  her  portion"  [syn:  {destiny},  {fate},  {luck},  {lot}, 
  {circumstances},  {portion}]




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