forlorn
/fəˈlɔːn/adjective
1
- pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely被遗弃的; 孤苦伶仃的; 可怜的：
forlorn figures at bus stops.
汽车站旁孤零零的人。
2
- (of an aim or endeavour) unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled; hopeless（目标, 努力）不可能成功的; 没希望的：
a forlorn attempt to escape.
无成功希望的逃跑企图。
短语
forlorn hope
- a persistent or desperate hope that is unlikely to be fulfilled渺茫的希望; 不可能实现的愿望。
- [ORIGIN: mid 16th cent.: from Dutch verloren hoop 'lost troop', from verloren （past participle of verliezen 'lose'） and hoop 'company' （related to HEAP）. The phrase originally denoted a band of soldiers picked to begin an attack, many of whom would not survive; the current sense （mid 17th cent.）, derives from a misunderstanding of the etymology.]
派生词
forlornly
adverbforlornness
noun词源