enfant perdu

[ahn-fahn per-dy]

noun

French.

plural

enfants perdus 

1. a soldier assigned to a dangerous post.

Word History and Origins

Origin of enfant perdu¹

Literally, “lost child”

Example Sentences

The French call it “l’enfant perdu.”

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Our laconic friend was trudging on behind the party, and to my surprise I noticed that several of the other parties had un enfant perdu, hands behind his back, marching in the rear, and as soon as we reached the prison each poor sheep in the rear fell out quite as a matter of course.

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His figure is so interesting in itself—that of the enfant perdu of genius—and so typical of a class, that the temptation to create a Villon legend is great; but to magnify his proportions to those of the highest poets is to do him wrong.

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He looked again, and seemed to himself to grow quite old as he looked, and he said, "Enfant perdu!"

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

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