What does forlorn hope mean?
Definitions for forlorn hope
for·lorn hope
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word forlorn hope.
Princeton's WordNet
forlorn hopenoun
a hopeless or desperate enterprise
Wiktionary
forlorn hopenoun
A small troop picked to make an advance attack, or the first attack; a storming party.
forlorn hopenoun
Any dangerous or hopeless venture.
Etymology: From forlorn + hope, in part-translation of verloren hoop ‘lost troop’.
Wikidata
Forlorn hope
A forlorn hope is a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high.
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
forlorn hope
Officers and men detached on desperate service to make a first attack, or to be the first in mounting a breach, or foremost in storming a fortress, or first to receive the whole fire of the enemy. Forlorn-hopes was a term formerly applied to the videttes of the army. This ominous name (the enfants perdus of the French) is familiarized into a better one among soldiers, who call it the flowing-hope. Promotion is usually bestowed on the survivors.
Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
forlorn hope
Officers and soldiers who generally volunteer for enterprises of great danger, such as leading the attack when storming a fortress, etc. Formerly it was applied to the advanced guard before the enemy, even on a march. See Enfans Perdus.
Etymology and Origins
Forlorn Hope
From the German verloren, lost. A company of soldiers ordered upon such a perilous enterprise, that there is small hope of their return.
Matched Categories
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of forlorn hope in Chaldean Numerology is: 5
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of forlorn hope in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7
References
Translations for forlorn hope
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
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"forlorn hope." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/forlorn+hope>.
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