Etymology

infortunate

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Today it means: Unfortunate, unlucky. Full definition →

First used 1570–1896Middle English infortunat(e) ← Latin infortūnātus
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The story

  1. Latin · derived frominfortūnātus
  2. Middle English · inherited frominfortunat(e)
  3. English todayinfortunate

The adjective is first attested circa 1390, in Middle English, the verb in 1570; inherited from Middle English infortunat(e), borrowed from Latin infortūnātus, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3). Doublet of unfortunate.

First known use, by meaning

  • 1570–1896 To subject a person to a, or cause a celestial body to be of malevolent influence; to render 'infortunate'.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.