| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| forlorn hope |
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| NOUN: | 1. An arduous or nearly hopeless undertaking. 2. An advance guard of troops sent on a hazardous mission. | | ETYMOLOGY: | By folk etymology from Dutch verloren hoop, advance guard : verloren, past participle of verliezen, to lose; see leu- in Appendix I + hoop, troop.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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