The wheel of Fortune
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Fortuna, the goddess, is represented on ancient monuments with a wheel in her hand, emblematical of her inconstancy.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The wheel of Fortune” mean?
Fortuna, the goddess, is represented on ancient monuments with a wheel in her hand, emblematical of her inconstancy.
Is “The wheel of Fortune” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.