forlorn hope
noun
a perilous or desperate enterprise.
a vain hope.
Obsolete.
a group of soldiers assigned to perform some unusually dangerous service.
Origin of forlorn hope
1530–40; folk-etymological alteration of Dutch
verloren hoop literally, lost troop
Words nearby forlorn hope
forked lightning,
forkful,
forklift,
forky,
forlorn,
forlorn hope,
forlì,
form,
form an opinion,
form class,
form criticism
Example sentences from the Web for forlorn hope
British Dictionary definitions for forlorn hope
forlorn hope
noun
a hopeless or desperate enterprise
a faint hope
obsolete
a group of soldiers assigned to an extremely dangerous duty
Word Origin for forlorn hope
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)