/
fəˈlɔːn/
adj.
- pitifully sad and lonely.
- unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled.
Phrase
- forlorn hope
a persistent or desperate hope that is unlikely to be fulfilled.
[C16: from Du. verloren hoop ‘lost troop’, orig. denoting a band of soldiers picked to begin an attack, many of whom would not survive.]
Derivative
- forlornly adv.
- forlornness n.
Etymology
OE forloren ‘depraved’, past part. of forlēosan ‘lose’, of Gmc origin; ult. rel. to for- and lose.
