LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

fortuītus

fortuītus (feminine fortuīta, neuter fortuītum, adverb fortuītō)
Classical[fɔr.tuˈiː.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[for.tuˈiː.tus]

Meaning

  1. adjectivehappening by chance, accidental, random, fortuitous

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Casu · Forte · Fortuito · Fortasse · Forsitan · Haud scio an

Casu, forte, and fortuito, denote a casualty, and indeed, casu, in opp. to consulto, συμβεβηκότως; forte, without particular stress on the casualty, τυχόν; fortuito, fortuitu, emphatically, by mere chance, in opp. to causa, ἀπὸ τύχης; whereas fortasse, forsitan, and haud scio an, denote possibility, and indeed fortasse, fortassis, with an emphatic perception and affirmation of the possibility, as approaching to probability, and are in construction with the indicative, ἴσως; forsitan, forsan, with merely an occasional perception of the possibility, and are in construction with a conjunctive, τάχ’ ἄν; haud scio an, with a modest denial of one’s own certainty; consequently, haud scio an is an euphemistic limitation of the assertion. Fortasse verum est, and forsitan verum sit, mean, perhaps it is true, perhaps not; but haud scio an verum sit means, I think it true, but I will not affirm it as certain. (v. 294.)

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativefortuītusfortuītafortuītum
genitivefortuītīfortuītaefortuītī
dativefortuītōfortuītaefortuītō
accusativefortuītumfortuītamfortuītum
ablativefortuītōfortuītāfortuītō
vocativefortuītefortuītafortuītum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativefortuītīfortuītaefortuīta
genitivefortuītōrumfortuītārumfortuītōrum
dativefortuītīsfortuītīsfortuītīs
accusativefortuītōsfortuītāsfortuīta
ablativefortuītīsfortuītīsfortuītīs
vocativefortuītīfortuītaefortuīta

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

temere et fortuito; forte (et) temere
quite accidentally, fortuitously.

fortŭī^tus (i long, Hor. C. 2, 15, 17; Phaedr. 2, 4, 4; Aus. Sept. Sap. de Solon. 3; short, Petr. Poët. Sat. 135; Juv. 13, 225; Manil. 1, 182), a, um, adj. forte; analog. with gratuitus,
I. that takes place by chance or accident, casual, accidental, fortuitous (rare but class.): concursio rerum fortuitarum, Cic. Top. 19, 73; cf.: concursus atomorum, id. N. D. 1, 24, 66: concursu quodam fortuito, id. ib. 1, 24, 66: cespes, Hor. C. 2, 15, 17: lutum, Petr. 135: contubernium, Phaedr. 2, 4, 4: subita et fortuita oratio, Cic. de Or. 1, 33, 150: bonum, id. N. D. 3, 36, 87: praesensiones non fortuitae (shortly before: non id fortuito accidisse), id. Div. 2, 53, 109; cf. id. ib. 2, 7, 19: clamores, Quint. 10, 3, 30: pugna, id. 6, 5, 10: sermo, id. 10, 7. 13: nihil esse inordinatum atque fortuitum, id. 1, 10, 46.—In neutr. absol.: etiam illa fortuita aderant omnia, Quint. 6 praef. § 11; 6, 1, 5: fortuitorum laus brevior, id. 3, 7, 12: nihil tam capax fortuitorum quam mare, Tac. A. 14, 3; 15, 48.—Hence, adv.: fortŭī^to (post-class. access. form fortŭī^tu, Lact. 1, 2; Vulg. Num. 35, 22. Also found in some MSS. and edd. in Plaut. Aul. 2, 1, 41; cf. Madv. ad Cic. Fin. 5, 11, 33; Hand, Turs. II. 743; but Ellendt defends it, ad Cic. de Or. 1, 24, 111), by chance, accidentally, fortuitously, casually (very freq.; syn.: casu, forte, temere): ut mihi ne in deum quidem cadere videatur, ut sciat, quid casu et fortuito futurum sit, Cic. Div. 2, 7, 18: non enim temere nec fortuito sati et creati sumus, id. Tusc. 1, 49, 118: temere ac fortuito, id. Or. 55, 186; id. Off. 1, 29, 103; Liv. 2, 28, 1; reversing the order: partitio non est fortuito nec temere facta, Cic. Sull. 4; 13: non fortuito sed consilio, id. Rep. 2, 16 fin.: non fortuito aut sine consilio, Caes. B. G. 7, 20, 1: donata consulto, non fortuito nata, Cic. Leg. 1, 8, 25: immoderate et fortuito, id. Univ. 13: sive major aliqua causa atque divinior hanc vim ingenuit: sive hoc ita fit fortuito, id. Fin. 5, 11, 33: quod verbum tibi non excidit fortuito: scriptum, meditatum, cogitatum attulisti, id. Phil. 10, 2 fin.: fortuito in sermonem incidisse, id. de Or. 1, 24, 111; cf.: fortuito aliquid concluse apteque dicere, id. Or. 53, 177.

Origins

From *fortu- (“chance, luck, fortune”) + -ītus (suffix forming adjectives). *Fortu- is derived from an unattested u-stem action noun *fortus built on the root of fors (“chance, luck”) (from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns); an u-stem formation also seems to be behind fortūna (“fortune, luck, destiny”). Compare the formation of grātuītus.

Descendants
  • Catalanfortuït
  • Englishfortuitous
  • Frenchfortuit
  • Italianfortuito
  • Portuguesefortuito
  • Spanishfortuito

In English words that came into English from fortuītus

  • fortuitousfortuītus
  • fortuityfortuītus

Quick answers

What does fortuītus mean in Latin?
fortuītus, a adjective, means “happening by chance, accidental, random, fortuitous”.
How do you pronounce fortuītus?
In classical Latin, [fɔr.tuˈiː.tʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [for.tuˈiː.tus].