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perdu. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
perdu, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
perdu in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
perdu you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French perdu, originally after sentinelle perdue.
Pronunciation
Adjective
perdu (not comparable)
- (obsolete, military) Stationed in an exposed or hazardous position; hidden in ambush. Originally as sentinel perdu.
c. 1616–1619 (first performance), John Fletcher, “The Loyal Subiect”, in Comedies and Tragedies , London: Humphrey Robinson, , and for Humphrey Moseley , published 1647, →OCLC, Act I, scene i:a perdue captain
- (now rare) In a dangerous situation; lost, desperate.
1924, Herman Melville, chapter 7, in Billy Budd, London: Constable & Co.:Among certain grizzled sea-gossips of the gun decks and forecastle went a rumor perdue […]
- (now rare) Hidden; concealed from sight. Chiefly with lie.
1792, Charlotte Smith, Desmond, Broadview, published 2001, page 346:I stood perdu behind Mr Grimbold; a tall personage, whose broad shoulders, however, just permitted me to peep over at the Major, who had not yet espied me.
Noun
perdu (plural perdus)
- One placed on watch, or in ambush.
- A soldier sent on a forlorn hope.
c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , line 35:To watch, poor perdu, / With this thin helm?
Anagrams
Esperanto
Verb
perdu
- imperative of perdi
French
Pronunciation
Participle
perdu (feminine perdue, masculine plural perdus, feminine plural perdues)
- past participle of perdre
Adjective
perdu (feminine perdue, masculine plural perdus, feminine plural perdues)
- lost
Derived terms
Further reading
Anagrams
German
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French perdu.
Pronunciation
Adjective
perdu (indeclinable, predicative only)
- (dated) gone, lost
Further reading
- “perdu” in Duden online
- “perdu” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Indonesian
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
Noun
pêrdu (plural perdu-perdu)
- shrub: a woody plant smaller than a tree, and usually with several stems from the same base.
- clump (of trees), cluster
- Synonym: rumpun
Further reading