Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

enfant perdu

American  
[ahn-fahn per-dy] / ɑ̃ fɑ̃ pɛrˈdü /

noun

French.

plural

enfants perdus

  1. a soldier assigned to a dangerous post.

Etymology

Origin of enfant perdu

Literally, “lost child”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"The enfant perdu of Liberalism, the mainspring of Dormillière, the hope of French America!"

From The Young Seigneur Or, Nation-Making by Lighthall, W. D. (William Douw)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.