fortuitous
(adjective) occurring by happy chance; “profits were enhanced by a fortuitous drop in the cost of raw materials”
causeless, fortuitous, uncaused
(adjective) having no cause or apparent cause; “a causeless miracle”; “fortuitous encounters--strange accidents of fortune”; “we cannot regard artistic invention as...uncaused and unrelated to the times”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
fortuitous (comparative more fortuitous, superlative most fortuitous)
Happening by chance; coincidental, accidental.
Happening by a lucky chance; lucky or fortunate.
(legal) Happening independently of human will.
• (happening by chance): by accident, causeless, incidental; see also accidental
• (happening by lucky chance): happy, providential; see also lucky
Source: Wiktionary
For*tu"i*tous, a. Etym: [L. fortuitus; akin to forte, adv., by chance, prop. abl. of fors, fortis, chance. See Fortune.]
1. Happening by chance; coming or occuring unexpectedly, or without any known cause; chance; as, the fortuitous concourse of atoms. It was from causes seemingly fortuitous . . . that all the mighty effects of the Reformation flowed. Robertson. So as to throw a glancing and fortuitous light upon the whole. Hazlitt.
2. (LAw)
Definition: Happening independently of human will or means of foresight; resulting from unavoidable physical causes. Abbott.
Syn.
– Accidental; casual; contingent; incidental. See Accidental.
– For*tu"i*tous*ly, adv.
– For*tu"i*tous*ness, n.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
10 May 2025
(verb) declare (a dead person) to be blessed; the first step of achieving sainthood; “On Sunday, the martyr will be beatified by the Vatican”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
