forlorn hope

forlorn hope

n.

1. An arduous or nearly hopeless undertaking.

2. An advance guard of troops sent on a hazardous mission.

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[By folk etymology from Dutch verloren hoop, advance guard : verloren, past participle of verliezen, to lose; see leu- in Indo-European roots + hoop, troop.]

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forlorn hope

n

1. a hopeless or desperate enterprise

2. a faint hope

3. (Military) Obsolete a group of soldiers assigned to an extremely dangerous duty

[C16 (in the obsolete sense): changed (by folk etymology) from Dutch verloren hoop lost troop, from verloren, past participle of verliezen to lose + hoop troop (literally: heap)]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

forlorn hope - a hopeless or desperate enterprise endeavor, endeavour, enterprise - a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness); "he had doubts about the whole enterprise"