forlorn

forlorn
forlorn (adj.) mid-12c., forloren "disgraced, depraved," pp. of obsolete forlesan "be deprived of, lose, abandon," from O.E. forleosan "to lose, abandon, let go; destroy, ruin," from FOR- (Cf. for-) "completely" + leosan "to lose" (see LOSE (Cf. lose)). In the Mercian hymns, L. perditionis is glossed by O.E. forlorenisse.
Sense of "forsaken, abandoned" is 1530s; that of "wretched, miserable" first recorded 1580s. A common Germanic compound (Cf. O.S. farilosan, O.Fris. urliasa, M.Du. verliesen, Du. verliezen, O.H.G. virliosan, Ger. verlieren, Goth. fraliusan "to lose").
Commonly in forlorn hope (1570s), which is a partial translation of Du. verloren hoop, in which hoop means "troop, band," lit. "heap," and the sense of the whole phrase is of a suicide mission. The phrase is usually used incorrectly in English, and the misuse has colored the sense of forlorn. Related: Forlornly; forlornness.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Forlorn — For*lorn , n. 1. A lost, forsaken, or solitary person. [1913 Webster] Forced to live in Scotland a forlorn. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. A forlorn hope; a vanguard. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Our forlorn of horse marched within a mile of the enemy. Oliver… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • forlorn — ► ADJECTIVE 1) pitifully sad and lonely. 2) unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled. ● forlorn hope Cf. ↑forlorn hope DERIVATIVES forlornly adverb forlornness noun …   English terms dictionary

  • forlorn — index derelict (abandoned), disappointed, disconsolate, lugubrious, pessimistic Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • forlorn — 1 lorn, lone, desolate, lonesome, lonely, *alone, solitary Analogous words: separated, parted, divorced, severed, sundered (see SEPARATE vb): forsaken, deserted, abandoned (see ABANDON vb): wretched, *miserable: depressed, weighed down, oppressed …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • forlorn — [adj] hopeless, inconsolable abandoned, alone, bereft, blue*, cheerless, comfortless, cynical, defenseless, depressed, deserted, desolate, despairing, desperate, despondent, destitute, destroyed, disconsolate, down and out*, dragging*, forgotten …   New thesaurus

  • forlorn — [fôr lôrn′, fərlôrn′] adj. [ME forloren < OE, pp. of forleosan, to lose utterly: see FOR & LOSE] 1. abandoned or deserted 2. a) lonely and sad; unhappy and neglected b) without hope; desperate 3 …   English World dictionary

  • forlorn — [[t]fɔː(r)lɔ͟ː(r)n[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED: ADJ n, v link ADJ, ADJ after v If someone is forlorn, they feel alone and unhappy. [LITERARY] One of the demonstrators, a young woman, sat forlorn on the pavement... He looked a forlorn figure as he limped… …   English dictionary

  • forlorn — for|lorn [fəˈlo:n US fərˈlo:rn] adj [: Old English; Origin: , past participle of forleosan to lose ] 1.) seeming lonely and unhappy ▪ a forlorn figure sitting all by herself ▪ Ana sat with a bowed head and spoke in a forlorn voice. 2.) a place… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • forlorn — adjective 1 seeming lonely and unhappy: a forlorn little figure sitting outside the station 2 a place that is forlorn seems empty and sad, and is often in bad condition: The house looked old and forlorn. 3 a forlorn hope something you hope for… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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