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.
Of fortune and of hope at once forlorn. --Spenser.
Some say that ravens foster forlorn children.
--Shak.
2. Destitute; helpless; in pitiful plight; wretched;
miserable; almost hopeless; desperate.
For here forlorn and lost I tread. --Goldsmith.
The condition of the besieged in the mean time was
forlorn in the extreme. --Prescott.
She cherished the forlorn hope that he was still
living. --Thomson.
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.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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