'A forlorn hope' definitions:
Definition of 'A forlorn hope'
From: GCIDE
- Forlorn \For*lorn"\, a. [OE., p. p. of forlesen to lose utterly, AS. forle['o]san (p. p. forloren); pref. for- + le['o]san (in comp.) to lose; cf. D. verliezen to lose, G. verlieren, Sw. f["o]rlora, Dan. forloren, Goth. fraliusan to lose. See For-, and Lorn, a., Lose, v. t.]
- 1. Deserted; abandoned; lost. [1913 Webster]
- Of fortune and of hope at once forlorn. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]
- Some say that ravens foster forlorn children. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Destitute; helpless; in pitiful plight; wretched; miserable; almost hopeless; desperate. [1913 Webster]
- For here forlorn and lost I tread. --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster]
- The condition of the besieged in the mean time was forlorn in the extreme. --Prescott. [1913 Webster]
- She cherished the forlorn hope that he was still living. --Thomson. [1913 Webster]
- A forlorn hope [D. verloren hoop, prop., a lost band or troop; verloren, p. p. of verliezen to lose + hoop band; akin to E. heap. See For-, and Heap.] (Mil.), a body of men (called in F. enfants perdus, in G. {verlornen posten}) selected, usually from volunteers, to attempt a breach, scale the wall of a fortress, or perform other extraordinarily perilous service; also, a desperate case or enterprise.
- Syn: Destitute, lost; abandoned; forsaken; solitary; helpless; friendless; hopeless; abject; wretched; miserable; pitiable. [1913 Webster]