Gluck

/ɡlʊk/ noun

Definition

Good luck or fortune; a Yiddish expression used in English to wish someone well.

Etymology

From Yiddish 'glick' or 'gluck,' derived from Middle High German 'gelucke' (luck), ultimately from Proto-Germanic 'ga-' plus 'luk' meaning to shut or close (as in sealing one's fate).

Kelly Says

Gluck is Yiddish's gift to English—it shows how languages crash into each other and create new ways to express hope, with roots stretching back to medieval German beliefs about sealed fates!

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