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despair

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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionaryde·spair I \di-ˈsper\ verb ETYMOLOGY Middle English despeiren, from Anglo-French desperer, from Latin desperare, from de- + sperare to hope; akin to Latin spes hope — more at speed DATE 14th centuryintransitive verb: to lose all hope or confidence despair of winningtransitive verbobsolete : to lose hope for• de·spair·er noun II noun DATE 14th century1. utter loss of hope a cry of despair gave up in despair2. a cause of hopelessness an incorrigible child is the despair of his parentsEnglish Etymologydespair early 14c., from O.Frhttp://O.Fr. desperer "lose hope, despair," from L.desperare "to despair," from de- "without" + sperare "to hope," from spes "hope" (see speed). Noun replaced native wanhope. Related: Despairingly.Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7despairdes·pair / di5speE(r); NAmE di5sper / noun[U] the feeling of having lost all hope 绝望: She uttered a cry of despair. 她发出了绝望的叫声。 A deep sense of despair overwhelmed him. 深深的绝望使他痛苦不堪。 He gave up the struggle in despair. 他绝望地放弃了斗争。 One harsh word would send her into the depths of despair. 一句严厉的话就会使她陷入极度的绝望之中。 Eventually, driven to despair, he threw himself under a train. 他被迫得走投无路,最后卧轨自杀。 ⇨ see also desperate IDIOMS ▪ be the despair of sb to make sb worried or unhappy, because they cannot help 令某人担心(或绝望): My handwriting was the despair of my teachers. 我的字写得很差,使老师们感到十分失望。 ⇨ more at counsel n. verb[V] ~ (of sth / sb) | ~ (of doing sth) to stop having any hope that a situation will change or improve 绝望；失去希望；丧失信心: Don't despair! We'll think of a way out of this. 别灰心！我们会找到出路的。 They'd almost despaired of ever having children. 他们对生孩子几乎不抱任何希望了。 I despair of him; he can't keep a job for more than six months. 我对他都绝望了,他做任何工作都不超过半年。 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of EnglishOxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishdespair noun ADJ. black, bleak, deep | complete, total, utter VERB + DESPAIR feel | drive sb to The novel tells the story of a teenager driven to despair by the hypocrisy of the adult world. PREP. in ~ Robert shook his head in despair. | of ~ She let out a cry of despair. | with ~ He cried out with despair. | ~ at I felt despair at being deceived. PHRASES the depths of despair When he became ill he sank to the depths of despair. | in a moment of despair, a feeling/sense of despair I was overcome with a feeling of utter despair. OLTdespair verb⇨ despairdespair noun⇨ despair (close to despair)⇨ in despair ⇨ desperateWebster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridgedde·spairI. \də̇ˈspa(a)](ə)r, dēˈ-, -pe], ]ə\ verb(-ed/-ing/-s)Etymology: Middle English despeiren, from Middle French desperer (assumed Anglo-French 3d person plural present indicative despeirent), from Latin desperare, from de- + sperare to hope; akin to Latin spes hope and probably to Old English spēd success — more at speedintransitive verb1. : to lose hope utterly < sailors are too sanguine to despair, even at the last moment — Frederick Marryat > < to resign or despair you must first of all have an aim that you cannot attain — Stefan Schimanski >also : to give up all expectation — used with of < I should despair, however, of any successful analysis of problems at once so large and so difficult within the limits of this paper — B.N.Cardozo > < we despaired of mastering the idiomatic niceties of the language >2. : to give up hope for or belief in the success, progress, or achievement — used with of < despaired of man — Karl Meyer > < despair of people who do not like poetry >transitive verbobsolete : to lose hope forII. noun(-s)Etymology: Middle English despeir, from (assumed) Anglo-French despeir, from (assumed) Old French despeir (whence Old French despoir), from desperer, v. (3d person plural present indicative despeirent)1. : utter loss of hope : complete domination by feelings of hopelessness, futility, or defeat, wildly and bitterly expressed or quietly and pervasively dominant : complete loss of expectation of something wished for < his despair, which may find expression in … suicide — Rudyard Kipling > < subject to alternating moods of elation and despair > < with the apathy of entire despair he simply assented to whatever measures they suggested — Sheridan Le Fanu >often : a fit of despair — usually used in plural < the hopes, the despairs that accompanied our labors >2. a. : something that constitutes a cause for despair < an incorrigible child is the despair of his parents > b. : something that causes bafflement and loss of hope that it can be successfully emulated, comprehended, or otherwise acted upon in the desired way < his nondescript features are the despair of caricaturists > < play on words is the translator's despair — J.C.Swaim > < the theory of induction is the despair of philosophy — A.N.Whitehead >

Despair Hope Verb To Of From Despair. I