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The act of fortifying; the art or science of fortifying places in order to defend them against an enemy.

One who, or that which, fortifies, strengthens, supports, or upholds.

ngth to; to strengthen; to confirm; to furnish with power to resist attack. Timidity was fortified by pride. Gibbon. Pride came to the aid of fancy, and both combined to fortify his resolution. Sir W. Scott.

A little fort; a blockhouse. [Obs.] Spenser.

A little fort; a fortlet. [Obs.]

Very loud; with the utmost strength or loudness.

Casual choice; fortuitous selection; hazard. [R.] No mode of election operating in the spirit of fortition or rotation can be generally good. Burke.

Power to resist attack; strength; firmness. [Obs.] The fortitude of the place is best known to you. Shak.

Having fortitude; courageous. [R.] Gibbon.

A little fort. [R.] Bailey.

The space of fourteen days; two weeks.

Occurring or appearing once in a fortnight; as, a fortnightly meeting of a club; a fortnightly magazine, or other publication. -- adv.

To tread down; to trample upon. [Obs.] In hell shall they be all fortroden of devils. Chaucer.

A fortified place; a large and permanent fortification, sometimes including a town; a fort; a castle; a stronghold; a place of defense or security.

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.…

Accident; chance; casualty. D. Forbes (1750).

bringing some good thing not foreseen as certain; presaging happiness; auspicious; as, a fortunate event; a fortunate concurrence of circumstances; a fortunate investment.

In a fortunate manner; luckily; successfully; happily.

The condition or quality of being fortunate; good luck; success; happiness.

ck; hap; also, the personified or deified power regarded as determining human success, apportioning happiness and unhappiness, and distributing arbitrarily or fortuitously the lots of life. 'T is more by fortune, lady, than by merit. Shak. O Fortune, Fortune, all men call thee fickle. Shak.