Desperation
/ˌdɛspəˈreɪʃən/noun
A state of hopelessness or extreme urgency.
Did you know?Desperation entered English through Old French from Latin desperatio, and its core verb desperare means to “lose hope,” showing how languages can turn a feeling into a spell of hopelessness.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spē-
“to thrive, prosper, have success”
Latin
Latin
spes
“hope, expectation”
Latin
Latin
desperare
“to lose hope, despair”
Old French
Old French
desperation
“despair, hopelessness”
Middle English
English
desperacioun
“despair, hopelessness”
Modern English
English
desperation
“a state of hopelessness or extreme urgency”