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forlorn hope
forlorn hope definition
forlorn hope
- a group of soldiers detached from the main group for a very dangerous mission
- a desperate undertaking; enterprise with very little chance of success
Etymology: through confusion with hope
a faint hope
Etymology: altered < Du verloren hoop, lit., lost group < verloren, pp. of verliezen, to lose (akin to forlorn) + hoop, a band, group; akin to heap
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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