despond
pronunciation
How to pronounce despond in British English:
UK [dɪˈspɒnd]
How to pronounce despond in American English:
US [dɪˈspɑnd]
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- Verb:
- lose confidence or hope; become dejected
Word Origin
- despond
- despond: [17] Latin had a phrase animam dēspondēre, literally ‘give up one’s soul’, hence ‘lose heart’. The verb dēspondēre came to be used on its own in this sense, and was borrowed thus by English. It was a compound verb, formed from the prefix dē- ‘away’ and spondēre ‘promise’ (source of English sponsor, spontaneous, spouse, respond, and riposte), and originally meant ‘promise to give away’, hence ‘give up’.=> respond, riposte, sponsor, spontaneous, spouse
Example
- 1. He saved her from the slough of despond .
- 2. And I also hate the person who made me despond .
- 3. Give you hope and give you despond !
- 4. For years , the u. s.manufacturing sector seems to have been sliding into the slough of despond .
- 5. But even by their usual gloomy standards , britons seem to have got themselves into a slough of despond of late .