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Webster 1913 Edition

Forlorn

For-lorn′

,
Adj.
[OE., p. p. of
forlesen
to lose utterly, AS.
forleósan
(p. p.
forloren
); pref.
for-
+
leósan
(in comp.) to lose; cf. D.
verliezen
to lose, G.
verlieren
, Sw.
förlora
, Dan.
forloren
, Goth.
fraliusan
to lose. See
For-
, and
Lorn
,
Adj.
,
Lose
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
Deserted; abandoned; lost.
Of fortune and of hope at once
forlorn
.
Spenser.
Some say that ravens foster
forlorn
children.
Shakespeare
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.
Syn. – Destitute, lost; abandoned; forsaken; solitary; helpless; friendless; hopeless; abject; wretched; miserable; pitiable.

For-lorn′

,
Noun.
1.
A lost, forsaken, or solitary person.
Forced to live in Scotland a
forlorn
.
Shakespeare
2.
A forlorn hope; a vanguard.
[Obs.]
Our
forlorn
of horse marched within a mile of the enemy.
Oliver Cromvell.

Webster 1828 Edition

Forlorn

FORLORN'

,
Adj.
1.
Deserted; destitute; stripped or deprived; forsaken. Hence, lost; helpless; wretched; solitary.
Of fortune and of hope at once forlorn.
To live again in these wild woods forlorn.
For here forlorn and lost I tread.
2.
Taken away. Obs.
When as night hath us of light forlorn.
3.
Small; despicable; in a ludicrous sense.
Forlorn hope, properly, a desperate case; hence in military affairs, a detachment of men appointed to lead in an assault, to storm a counterscarp, enter a breach, or perform other service attended with uncommon peril.

FORLORN'

,
Noun.
A lost, forsaken, solitary person.

Definition 2024

forlorn

forlorn

English

Verb

forlorn

  1. (obsolete) past participle of forlese

Adjective

forlorn ‎(comparative forlorner or more forlorn, superlative forlornest or most forlorn)

  1. Abandoned, left behind, deserted.
  2. Miserable, as when lonely being abandoned.
    • Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774)
      For here forlorn and lost I tread.
    • William H. Prescott (1796-1859)
      The condition of the besieged in the mean time was forlorn in the extreme.
    • Mowbray Thomson (1832-1917)
      She cherished the forlorn hope that he was still living in captivity
    • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 6, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
      Sophia broke down here. Even at this moment she was subconsciously comparing her rendering of the part of the forlorn bride with Miss Marie Lohr's.

Derived terms

Synonyms

Translations

Etymology

From Middle English forlorn, forloren, from Old English forloren (past participle of forlēosan ‎(“to lose”)), from Proto-Germanic *fraluzanaz ‎(“lost”), past participle of Proto-Germanic *fraleusaną ‎(“to lose”), equivalent to for- +‎ lorn. Cognate with West Frisian ferlern ‎(“lost”), Dutch verloren ‎(“lost”), German verloren ‎(“lost”), Swedish förlorad ‎(“lost”). More at lese/leese, lorn.

Pronunciation

  • (US) IPA(key): /fɔɹˈlɔɹn/
  • Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)n

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