Forlorn
/fɔːrˈlɔːrn/noun
Pitifully lonely, abandoned, or hopeless.
Did you know?The word was once the past participle of an Old English verb meaning to lose completely, so its sadness is built right into its grammar.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*forluzaną
“to lose completely, destroy”
Old English
OE
forlēosan
“to lose, destroy, deprive of”
Old English
OE
forloren
“lost, ruined, abandoned”
Middle English
ME
forlorn
“lost, forsaken, wretched”
Modern English
English
forlorn
“pitifully lonely, abandoned, or hopeless”