Forlorn /(?)/

For·lorn

Forlorn

a.
  1. Deserted; abandoned; lost.
    Of fortune and of hope at once forlorn.
    Some say that ravens foster forlorn children.
  2. Destitute; helpless; in pitiful plight; wretched; miserable; almost hopeless; desperate.
    For here forlorn and lost I tread.
    The condition of the besieged in the mean time was forlorn in the extreme.
    She cherished the forlorn hope that he was still living.

Phrases & Compounds
A forlorn hope
a body of men (called in F. enfants perdus, in G. verlornen posten) selected, usually from volunteers, to attempt a breach, scale the wall of a fortress, or perform other extraordinarily perilous service; also, a desperate case or enterprise.

Forlorn

n.
  1. A lost, forsaken, or solitary person.
    Forced to live in Scotland a forlorn.
  2. A forlorn hope; a vanguard. [Obs.]
    Our forlorn of horse marched within a mile of the enemy.