forlorn

== English == === 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”), Saterland Frisian ferlädden (“lost”), Dutch verloren (“lost”), German Low German verloren (“lost”), German verloren (“lost”), Swedish förlorad (“lost”). See further at lese/leese, lorn. === Pronunciation === enPR: fər-lôrnʹ, fôr-lôrnʹ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /fəˈlɔːn/, /fɔːˈlɔːn/ (General American) IPA(key): /fɚˈlɔɹn/, /fɔɹˈlɔɹn/ Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)n Hyphenation: for‧lorn === Adjective === forlorn (comparative forlorner or more forlorn, superlative forlornest or most forlorn) Abandoned, deserted, left behind. Synonyms: desolate, forsaken, peopleless; see also Thesaurus:abandoned Pitifully sad, wretched, miserable; lonely, especially from feeling abandoned, deserted, forsaken. Synonyms: despondent, forsaken, lonesome; see also Thesaurus:sad, Thesaurus:cheerless Unlikely to succeed; hopeless. Synonyms: despairful, desperate ==== Alternative forms ==== forlorne (obsolete) ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== forlorn hope lovelorn ==== Translations ==== === Noun === forlorn (plural forlorns) (military) A forlorn hope. A member of a forlorn hope. === Verb === forlorn (obsolete) past participle of forlese. === Further reading === “forlorn”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. “forlorn”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “forlorn”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.