See Also: Fortune 500(money)
fortune(dictionary)
Fortune 500, the(dictionary)
fortune(2)(dictionary)
fortune(1)(dictionary)
Fortune 500(finance)
FORTUNE SUN(finance)
EVER FORTUNE(finance)
Fortune Brands(finance)
FORTUNE TELECOM(finance)

fortune(1) (iou)



fortune noun. ME.
[Old & mod. French from Latin fortuna chance as a divinity, (esp. good) luck.]
(Also Fortune.) Chance or luck as a power in human affairs; this power personified as a goddess. ME.
Ld Macaulay When fortune changed..his real propensities began to show themselves.
A chance, an accident; an adventure. ME-E18.
T. Stanley Many other good Fortunes happening to the Athenians..are recorded.
b. A mishap, a disaster. L15-E17.
sing. & in pl. The good or bad luck that befalls a person or an enterprise. LME.
J. R. Green On the fortunes of Philip hung the fortunes of English freedom. A. C. Boult It has not been my good fortune to see inside many of the great London homes.
b. A person's destiny. Chiefly in tell a person's fortune below. LME.
Good luck; success, prosperity. LME.
J. Harington A herald by great fortune found out his pedigree.
Position as determined by wealth; wealth; a substantial amount of money etc. M16.
D. Carnegie George Eastman..amassed a fortune of a $100 million. D. Caute A leather shoulder bag that had cost a fortune.
sing. & in pl. A person's condition or standing in life; a prosperous condition. E17.
Janet Morgan The Millers..looked equally prosperous..but their fortunes, too, were imperceptibly growing shakier.
A wealthy woman, an heiress. obsolete exc. in marry a fortune below. M17.
Astrology. A planet, esp. in a favourable aspect; spec. the planet Saturn, the planet Jupiter. L17.
Phrases: a small fortune a large amount of money. by fortune by chance. Fortune's wheel: see WHEEL noun 8. hostage to fortune: see HOSTAGE noun1. make a fortune, make one's fortune become rich (other than by inheritance). man of fortune, woman of fortune, etc., a person possessing great (usu. inherited) wealth. marry a fortune arch. marry a rich heiress. push one's fortune: see PUSH verb. seek one's fortune, try one's fortune pursue, make trial of, one's luck, esp. in the hope of achieving wealth and position. soldier of fortune an adventurous person ready to take service under any person or State in return for money; a mercenary. tell a person's fortune supposedly foretell a person's future by palmistry etc. tempt fortune: see TEMPT verb. try one's fortune: see seek one's fortune above. wheel of fortune: see WHEEL noun. woman of fortune: see man of fortune above.
Comb.: fortune cookie N. Amer. a baked dough cake containing a prediction etc. on a slip of paper; Fortune 500, Fortune 1000 US (an annual list of) the five hundred (from 1970 the one thousand) most profitable US industrial corporations; fortune-hunter a person who indulges in fortune-hunting; fortune-hunting attempting to secure a fortune for oneself, esp. by marrying a wealthy woman; fortune-teller a person who practises fortune-telling; fortune-telling supposedly foretelling a person's future by palmistry etc.
fortuneless adjective L16.