Where Does Hapless Come from?

The word hapless traces all the way back to the Old Norse word happ, meaning “chance, good luck.” Combine this with the suffix -less (“lacking”) and hapless means “unlucky” or “ill-fated.” A traveler who goes to Moscow and briefly gets lost on the subway? Just a tourist.

What does woebegone mean?

1 : strongly affected with woe : woeful. 2a : exhibiting great woe, sorrow, or misery a woebegone expression. b : being in a sorry state woebegone tattered clothes.

Is Haplessly a word?

adj. Luckless; unfortunate. See Synonyms at unfortunate. hap′less·ly adv.