'infortune' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'infortunium', where 'in-' meant 'not' and 'fortuna' meant 'fortune (luck)'.

'infortune' came into Middle English from Old French 'infortune', which in turn derived from Latin 'infortunium'; it survived into Early Modern English but later became rare, replaced by 'misfortune'.

Initially, it meant 'bad fortune' or 'ill luck'; over time the basic sense remained but the word became archaic and was largely replaced by 'misfortune' in common usage.