Borrowed from Middle Low German lucke, gelucke. According to the OED, it may be related to the source of English lock (compare Proto-Germanic *lūkaną (“to close, to shut”)).
Compare Danish and Norwegian Bokmål lykke, and Norwegian Nynorsk lukke f. Compare also English luck, German Glück, Yiddish גליק (glik), West Frisian gelok, Dutch and Afrikaans geluk, Saramaccan and Sranan Tongo koloku.
lycka c
The better translation of luck is usually tur. Lycka is luck more in the sense of happiness from good fortune.
| Declension of lycka | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
| Nominative | lycka | lyckan | lyckor | lyckorna |
| Genitive | lyckas | lyckans | lyckors | lyckornas |
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
lycka (present lycker, preterite lyckte, supine lyckt, imperative lyck)
| Active | Passive | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | lycka | lyckas | ||
| Supine | lyckt | lyckts | ||
| Imperative | lyck | — | ||
| Imper. plural1 | lycken | — | ||
| Present | Past | Present | Past | |
| Indicative | lycker | lyckte | lycks, lyckes | lycktes |
| Ind. plural1 | lycka | lyckte | lyckas | lycktes |
| Subjunctive2 | lycke | lyckte | lyckes | lycktes |
| Participles | ||||
| Present participle | lyckande | |||
| Past participle | lyckt | |||
| 1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs. | ||||