different between luck vs haply

English

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.

Loaned 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 is paralleled by 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 fort?ne from Latin fort?na. 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.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /l?k/, [l?k]
• (US) IPA^(key): /l?k/
• Rhymes: -?k
• (Northern England) IPA^(key): /l?k/
• Homophone: look (some dialects)

Noun

luck (usually uncountable, plural lucks)

1. Something that happens to someone by chance, a chance occurrence, especially a favourable one.

2. A superstitious feeling that brings fortune or success.

3. Success.

4. (video games, computing) The results of a random number generator.

Synonyms

• (a chance occurrence): chance, fortune; see also Thesaurus:luck
• (a favorable chance occurrence): good luck, hap, fortune, fortuitousness; see also Thesaurus:luck
• (a superstitious feeling): fortune

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Welsh: lwc

Translations

Verb

luck (third-person singular simple present lucks, present participle lucking, simple past and past participle lucked)

1. (intransitive, informal) To find something through good fortune; used with into, on, onto or upon.
   • 2004 December, The Crisis (volume 111, page 50)

     I lucked upon a seat, settled in, nodded off and 20 minutes later heard my name being called by the admitting nurse.

   • 2010, Riaan Manser, Around Africa On My Bicycle

     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.

Derived terms

• luck in
• luck into
• luck out
• luck through

See Also

• Thesaurus:lucky

Further reading

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

English

Etymology

From Middle English happely, hapliche, happeliche; equivalent to hap +? -ly.

Adverb

haply (literary, archaic)

1. By accident or luck.
   • 1886-88, Richard F. Burton, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night:

     But as soon as her son espied her, bowl in hand, he thought that haply something untoward had befallen her, but he would not ask of aught until such time as she had set down the bowl, when she acquainted him with that which had occurred […]

2. Perhaps.
   • 1886-88, Richard F. Burton, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night:

     "O my lord the Sultan," said the other [the Wazir], "verily women be weakly of wits, and haply this goodwife cometh hither to complain before thee against her goodman or some of her people."

Related terms

• hap

Translations

Anagrams

• phyla