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.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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)]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

forlorn′ hope′

n.

1. a perilous or desperate enterprise.

2. a vain hope.

3. Obs. a group of soldiers assigned to perform some unusually dangerous service.

[1530–40]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

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"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.