What is the origin of 付いてる meaning "to be lucky"?


Where does that come from? Was "to be attached" the only original meaning?




Many people have wondered why, but I failed to find the authoritative
explanation for this. At least デジタル大辞泉 says nothing more than that ツキ means
luck. (By the way, this kind of 付き is usually written either in hiragana or
katakana, perhaps because even native speakers don't know why the kanji 付 is
associated with this word.)

Anyway, つく (憑く) sometimes means "(for a devil/ghost) to possess", "to haunt",
etc. The most popular explanation seems to be that 付いている is from something
like "Fortune is with me" or "God of fortune is being with me".

Actually, 何かが憑いている or 憑かれている is something you can say if you feel you're very
unlucky.

  * [付き、ツキとは何か](http://www.fleapedia.com/%E4%BA%94%E5%8D%81%E9%9F%B3%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9/%E3%81%A4/%E4%BB%98%E3%81%8D-%E3%83%84%E3%82%AD%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AF%E4%BD%95%E3%81%8B/)
  * [運がいいときに「ツイてる」といいますけど、「ツイてる」の語源ってなんですか？](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1460140249)
  * [「ツキを呼び込む」のツキを漢字にすると どう書きますか？ また 語源はなんでしょうか？](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1387642863)




Many people have wondered why, but I failed to find the authoritative
explanation for this. At least デジタル大辞泉 says nothing more than that ツキ means
luck. (By the way, this kind of 付き is usually written either in hiragana or
katakana, perhaps because even native speakers don't know why the kanji 付 is
associated with this word.)

Anyway, つく (憑く) sometimes means "(for a devil/ghost) to possess", "to haunt",
etc. The most popular explanation seems to be that 付いている is from something
like "Fortune is with me" or "God of fortune is being with me".

Actually, 何かが憑いている or 憑かれている is something you can say if you feel you're very
unlucky.

  * [付き、ツキとは何か](http://www.fleapedia.com/%E4%BA%94%E5%8D%81%E9%9F%B3%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9/%E3%81%A4/%E4%BB%98%E3%81%8D-%E3%83%84%E3%82%AD%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AF%E4%BD%95%E3%81%8B/)
  * [運がいいときに「ツイてる」といいますけど、「ツイてる」の語源ってなんですか？](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1460140249)
  * [「ツキを呼び込む」のツキを漢字にすると どう書きますか？ また 語源はなんでしょうか？](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1387642863)

