lucky
Meaning
having, bringing, or resulting from good luck
happening by chance, especially a desirable chance
Usage
she felt very lucky to have found such a supportive friend.
he made a lucky guess and won the prize.
a lucky break early in his career set him on the path to success.
Etymology
the word 'lucky' entered english in the late 14th century, formed from the middle english noun 'lucke' or 'luk', which denoted fortune or chance, combined with the productive english adjectival suffix '-y'. the core noun 'luck' itself is a loanword, likely from middle low german 'luk' or a shortened form of middle dutch 'gelucke', meaning fortune or happiness. this germanic root is thought to be related to a verb meaning 'to catch' or 'to obtain', conceptually linking luck to that which is 'caught' or received by chance. over time, 'lucky' evolved from simply describing a fortuitous event to describing a person or thing consistently favored by such desirable chance.
Analysis
the word 'lucky' is a simplex form derived from the middle english 'luk', a shortened form of 'luck', with the addition of the adjectival suffix '-y'. the root 'luck' is of middle low german or dutch origin (compare middle dutch 'luc', shortened form of 'gelucke', middle high german 'gelücke').