FLUKE


Meaning of FLUKE in English

I. ˈflük noun

Etymology: Middle English floke, fluke, from Old English flōc; akin to Old English flōh chip, Old High German flah smooth, Greek plax flat surface, and probably to Old English flōr floor — more at floor

Date: before 12th century

1. : flatfish

2. : a flattened digenetic trematode worm ; broadly : trematode — compare liver fluke

II. noun

Etymology: perhaps from fluke (I)

Date: 1561

1. : the part of an anchor that fastens in the ground — see anchor illustration

2. : one of the lobes of a whale's tail

III. noun

Etymology: origin unknown

Date: 1857

1. : an accidentally successful stroke at billiards or pool

2. : a stroke of luck

the discovery was a fluke

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.