luck
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
video-games
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 and Norwegian Bokmål lykke (“luck, happiness”), Norwegian Nynorsk lukke (“luck, happiness”), Swedish lycka (“luck, happiness”), Icelandic lukka (“happiness”). 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.
Inflected forms:
form: lucks
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: lucks
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: lucking
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: lucked
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: lucked
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: Something that happens to someone by chance, a chance occurrence.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
examples: The raffle is just a matter of luck.
Gilbert had some bad luck yesterday — he got pick-pocketed and lost fifty dollars.
gloss: Something that happens to someone by chance, a chance occurrence.
pos: noun
tags: especially
uncountable
usually
examples: Sometimes it takes a bit of luck to get success.
I couldn't believe my luck when I found a fifty dollar bill on the street.
gloss: A superstitious feeling that brings fortune or success.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
examples: He blew on the dice for luck.
I wish you lots of luck for the exam tomorrow.
Shepard: We better get moving.
Dr. Warren: Good luck, Commander.
Dr. Manuel: Luck won't save you.
gloss: Success.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
examples: I tried for ages to find a pair of blue suede shoes, but didn't have any luck.
He has a lot of luck with the ladies. Perhaps it's because of his new motorbike.
gloss: The results of a random number generator.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
examples: The creators of tool-assisted speedruns often manipulate luck to get the most favorable results in order to save the most time.
gloss: To find something through good fortune; used with into, on, onto or upon.
pos: verb
tags: informal
intransitive
examples: I lucked upon a seat, settled in, nodded off and 20 minutes later heard my name being called by the admitting nurse.
But then I lucked on a backpackers' lodge lying half-hidden behind some trees right next to the road. It was a considerable relief to both my mind and my muscles.
Synonyms: adventure
accident
casualty
chance
chance-medley
fortune
hap
hazard
joss
luck
serendipity
weird
Related words: lucky
unlucky
Derived words: as luck may have it
as luck would have it
bad luck
beginner's luck
be in luck
best of British luck
best of luck
better luck next time
break luck
chuck-a-luck
devil's luck
down on one's luck
down upon one's luck
dumb luck
fisherman's luck
good luck
hard luck
hard-luck
hard-luck story
here's luck
ill luck
ill-luck
just my luck
lady luck
luck ball
luckbox
luck dragon
lucker
luckful
luckless
luckling
luck of the devil
luck of the draw
luck of the Irish
luck out
luck penny
lucksome
lucky
lucky break
make one's own luck
misluck
no such luck
one for luck
out of luck
piece of luck
pot-luck
potluck
pot luck
press one's luck
push one's luck
ride one's luck
shit luck
shit out of luck
someone's luck is in
some people have all the luck
streak of good luck
stroke of luck
throw one's luck in with
tough luck
try one's luck
unluck
with any luck
worse luck
Translations:
lang: Albanian
word: gullmë
lang: Albanian
word: fat
lang: Arabic
word: حَظّ
roman: ḥaẓẓ
lang: Arabic
word: بَخْت
roman: baḵt
lang: Arabic
word: حظ
roman: ḥaẓẓ
lang: Arabic
word: بخت
roman: baxt
lang: Arabic
word: حَظ
roman: ḥaẓ
lang: Arabic
word: زهر
roman: zhar
lang: Armenian
word: բախտ
roman: baxt
lang: Asturian
word: suerte
lang: Azerbaijani
word: bəxt
lang: Azerbaijani
word: uğur
lang: Basque
word: zori
lang: Basque
word: adur
lang: Belarusian
word: уда́ча
roman: udáča
lang: Belarusian
word: шча́сце
roman: ščáscje
lang: Bulgarian
word: късме́т
roman: kǎsmét
lang: Bulgarian
word: ща́стие
roman: štástie
lang: Burmese
word: ကံ
roman: kam
lang: Cahuilla
word: 'esweerta
lang: Catalan
word: sort
lang: Cebuano
word: suwerte
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 運氣 /运气
roman: yùnqi
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 時運 /时运
roman: shíyùn
lang: Czech
word: štěstí
lang: Danish
word: held
lang: Dutch
word: geluk
lang: Esperanto
word: sorto
lang: Estonian
word: õnn
lang: Finnish
word: onni
lang: Finnish
word: tuuri
lang: Finnish
word: munkki
lang: Finnish
word: säkä
lang: Finnish
word: mäihä
lang: Finnish
word: flaksi
lang: Finnish
word: tsägä
lang: Finnish
word: lykky
lang: French
word: chance
lang: French
word: veine
lang: French
word: bol
lang: French
word: cul
lang: French
word: chatte
lang: West-Frisian
word: lok
lang: West-Frisian
word: gelok
lang: Galician
word: sorte
lang: German
word: Glück
lang: Gothic
word: 𐌰𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌲𐌴𐌹
roman: audagei
lang: Greek
word: τύχη
roman: týchi
lang: Ancient Greek
word: τύχη
roman: túkhē
lang: Ancient Greek
word: εὐτυχία
roman: eutukhía
lang: Ancient Greek
word: εὐτύχημα
roman: eutúkhēma
lang: Hebrew
word: מַזָּל
roman: mazál
lang: Hebrew
word: גָּד
roman: gad
lang: Hindi
word: भाग्य
roman: bhāgya
lang: Hindi
word: सौभाग्य
roman: saubhāgya
lang: Hungarian
word: szerencse
lang: Hunsrik
word: Glick
lang: Icelandic
word: heppni
lang: Icelandic
word: lukka
lang: Ido
word: chanco
lang: Indonesian
word: keberuntungan
lang: Ingrian
word: onni
lang: Ingrian
word: lykky
lang: Interlingua
word: sorte
lang: Irish
word: ádh
lang: Italian
word: fortuna
lang: Japanese
word: 運
roman: un
lang: Japanese
word: 運勢
roman: unsei
lang: Japanese
word: 福
lang: Khmer
word: សំណាង
roman: sɑmnaang
lang: Khmer
word: ជោគ
roman: cook
lang: Korean
word: 운
roman: un
lang: Korean
word: 재수
roman: jaesu
lang: Central Kurdish
word: بەخت
roman: bext
lang: Lao
word: ໂຊກ
roman: sōk
lang: Latin
word: fortūna
lang: Latin
word: fors
lang: Latvian
word: veiksme
lang: Lithuanian
word: sėkmė
lang: Low German
word: Glücke
lang: Macedonian
word: среќа
roman: sreḱa
lang: Malay
word: tuah
lang: Malayalam
word: അദൃഷ്ടം
roman: adr̥ṣṭaṁ
lang: Mongolian
word: аз
roman: az
lang: Muna
word: dawua
lang: Ojibwe
word: minose
lang: Old English
word: ġesǣlþ
lang: Oromo
word: carraa
lang: Persian
word: شانس
roman: šâns
lang: Plautdietsch
word: Jlekj
lang: Polabian
word: lük
lang: Polish
word: szczęście
lang: Portuguese
word: sorte
lang: Quechua
word: ataw
lang: Romanian
word: noroc
lang: Romanian
word: șansă
lang: Romanian
word: soartă
lang: Russian
word: уда́ча
roman: udáča
lang: Russian
word: везе́ние
roman: vezénije
lang: Russian
word: сча́стье
roman: sčástʹje
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: сре̏ћа
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: талија
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: srȅća
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: talija
lang: Sinhalese
word: වාසනාව
roman: wāsanāwa
lang: Slovak
word: šťastie
lang: Slovene
word: srẹ́ča
lang: Somali
word: nasiib
lang: Spanish
word: suerte
lang: Sranan Tongo
word: koloku
lang: Swahili
word: bahati
lang: Swedish
word: lycka
lang: Swedish
word: tur
lang: Tagalog
word: suwerte
lang: Tajik
word: барор
roman: baror
lang: Tamil
word: அதிட்டம்
roman: atiṭṭam
lang: Telugu
word: అదృష్టం
roman: adr̥ṣṭaṁ
lang: Thai
word: โชค
roman: chôok
lang: Tibetan
word: ལམ་འགྲོ
roman: lam 'gro
lang: Turkish
word: uğur
lang: Turkish
word: şans
lang: Turkish
word: talih
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: اوغور
roman: uğur
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: قوت
roman: kut
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: بخت
roman: baht
lang: Ukrainian
word: уда́ча
roman: udáča
lang: Ukrainian
word: ща́стя
roman: ščástja
lang: Unami
word: tëminakw
lang: Urdu
word: قسمت
roman: qismat
lang: Urdu
word: تقدیر
roman: taqdīr
lang: Vietnamese
word: may mắn
lang: Vietnamese
word: vận may
lang: Vietnamese
word: vận
lang: Volapük
word: läb
lang: Walloon
word: tchance
lang: Walloon
word: bouneur
lang: Zazaki
word: bext
lang: Zazaki
word: sehud