forlorn hope

Meaning

Noun

• Any dangerous or hopeless venture.

Origin

• Sense 1 (“troop of soldiers picked to make an advance attack, or the first attack”) is a mistranslation of Dutch verloren hoop: verloren + hoop, mistaking the latter word for the homograph hoop. Verloren is the past participle of verliezen (ultimately from Proto-Germanic *fraleusaną, from Proto-Indo-European *per- + *lewH-), while hoop is ultimately from Proto-Germanic *haupaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kouHp-nó- or *keHup-.
• Sense 2 (“dangerous or hopeless venture”) is either an extension of the meaning of sense 1, or from the literal meaning of the words forlorn and hope.