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Forlorn hope

2 stages from Dutch to English.

Today it means a desperate or hopeless undertaking

Where does the word "forlorn hope" come from? It comes from Dutch verloren hoop, adopted directly into English (1570s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
verloren hoop
Dutch · 1500s
"lost troop"
'lost troop', hoop meaning a band or heap: the advance party of soldiers sent first into a breach, expected to die
2
Stage 2 of 2
forlorn hope
English · 1570s
"suicidal vanguard; faint hope"
English soldiers in the Dutch wars heard hoop as 'hope'; Wellington's storming parties at Badajoz in 1812 were still called the forlorn hope
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Forlorn hope’s story begins in Dutch: verloren hoop meant “lost troop.” 'lost troop', hoop meaning a band or heap: the advance party of soldiers sent first into a breach, expected to die. It reached English by 1570s as forlorn hope. English soldiers in the Dutch wars heard hoop as 'hope'; Wellington's storming parties at Badajoz in 1812 were still called the forlorn hope. Today, forlorn hope means a desperate or hopeless undertaking.