luck
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /lʌk/
ipa: [lɐk]
ipa: /lʌk/
ipa: /lʊk/
rhymes: -ʌk
homophone: look stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: lucks
Etymology: From Middle English luk, lukke, related to Old Frisian luk (“luck”), West Frisian gelok (“luck”), Saterland Frisian Gluk (“luck”), Dutch geluk (“luck, happiness”), Low German luk (“luck”), German Glück (“luck, good fortune, happiness”), Danish lykke (“luck”), Swedish lycka (“luck”), Icelandic lukka (“luck”). According to the OED, it may be related to lock.
A loanword into English in the 15th century (probably as a gambling term) from Middle Dutch luc, a shortened form of gheluc (“good fortune”), whence Modern Dutch geluk.
Middle Dutch luc, gheluc has parallels with Middle High German lücke, gelücke (Modern German Glück). The word occurs only from the 12th century, apparently first in Rhine Frankish. Perhaps from a Frankish *galukki. The word enters standard Middle High German during the 13th century, and spreads to English and Scandinavian in the Late Middle Ages. Its origin seems to have been regional or dialectal, and there were competing German words such as gevelle or schick, or the Latinate fortūne from Latin fortūna. Its etymology is unknown, although there are numerous proposals as to its derivations from a number of roots.
Use as a verb in American English is late (1940s), but there was a Middle English verb lukken (“to chance, to happen by good fortune”) in the 15th century.
Senses: examples: text: The raffle is just a matter of luck.
text: Gilbert had some bad luck yesterday — he got pick-pocketed and lost fifty dollars.
synonyms: chance
fortune
glosses: Something that happens to someone by chance, a chance occurrence.
examples: text: Sometimes it takes a bit of luck to get success.
text: I couldn't believe my luck when I found a fifty dollar bill on the street.
synonyms: word: chance
word: fortune
word: good luck
word: hap
word: fortune
word: fortuitousness
word: felicity
word: fortune
word: fortuitousness
word: fortuity
word: good fortune
word: good luck
word: happiness
word: luck
word: luck of the Irish
glosses: Something that happens to someone by chance, a chance occurrence.
A favourable chance occurrence.
examples: text: He blew on the dice for luck.
text: I wish you lots of luck for the exam tomorrow.
text: Shepard: We better get moving.
Dr. Warren: Good luck, Commander.
Dr. Manuel: Luck won't save you.
ref: 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Eden Prime:
synonyms: fortune
glosses: A superstitious feeling that brings fortune or success.
examples: text: I tried for ages to find a pair of blue suede shoes, but didn't have any luck.
text: He has a lot of luck with the ladies. Perhaps it's because of his new motorbike.
glosses: Success.
examples: text: The creators of tool-assisted speedruns often manipulate luck to get the most favorable results in order to save the most time.
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
video-games
glosses: The results of a random number generator.
Synonyms: word: adventure
word: accident
word: casualty
word: chance
word: chance-medley
word: fortune
word: hap
word: hazard
word: joss
word: luck
word: serendipity
word: weird
Hypernyms: word: occurrence
Hyponyms: word: bad luck
word: good luck
Derived terms: sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: as luck may have it
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: as luck would have it
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: bad luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: beginner's luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: be in luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: best of British luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: best of luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: better luck next time
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: break luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: chuck-a-luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: devil's luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: down on one's luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: down upon one's luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: dumb luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: fisherman's luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: good luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: hard luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: hard-luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: hard-luck story
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: ill-luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: ill luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: just my luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: lady luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: luck ball
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: luckbox
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: luck dragon
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: lucker
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: luckful
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: luckless
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: luckling
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: luck of the devil
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: luck of the draw
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: luck of the Irish
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: luck out
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: luck penny
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: lucksome
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: lucky
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: lucky break
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: make one's own luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: misluck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: no such luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: one for luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: out of luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: piece of luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: potluck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: pot luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: pot-luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: press one's luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: push one's luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: ride one's luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: shit luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: shit out of luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: someone's luck is in
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: some people have all the luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: streak of good luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: stroke of luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: throw one's luck in with
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: tough luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: try one's luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: unluck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: with any luck
sense: terms derived from luck (noun)
word: worse luck
Related terms: word: lucky
word: unlucky