forlorn

Definitions


[fəˈlɔːn], (Adjective)

Definitions:
- pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely
(e.g: forlorn figures at bus stops)

- (of an aim or endeavour) unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled
(e.g: a forlorn attempt to escape)


Phrases:
- forlorn hope

Origin:
Old English forloren ‘depraved, morally abandoned’, past participle of forlēosan ‘lose’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch verliezen and German verlieren, and ultimately to for- and lose. forlorn dates from the 16th century




definition by Oxford Dictionaries