Translation
fortune, luck; chance, fate
Examples
fortibus favet.
Fortune favours the brave.
.
Nobody knows the fortune of war.
mutantur.
The fortunes of men often change.
.
With favourable fortune we reached harbour.
.
The temple of Fortune stands in the city.
Fortuna, fortunae is feminine, first declension, from fors, "chance". The word is neutral and normally wants an adjective to tell you which way it fell: fortuna secunda is good luck, fortuna adversa is bad. Standing alone it means the way things turn out, not that they turn out well.
Two things to keep separate. Capitalised, Fortuna is a goddess with temples and a wheel, and Roman writers treat her as fickle on purpose. In the plural, fortunae usually means property, a person's worldly goods, so "fortunas amisit" is he lost his estate rather than his luck. Spanish fortuna, French fortune and English fortune, fortunate and misfortune all come straight through.
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fortuna: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "fortuna" (fortune, luck; chance, fate): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 8.