WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Per*du"
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [See Perdu, a.]
Definition : 1. One placed on watch, or in ambush.

2. A soldier sent on a forlorn hope. Shak.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913

Pronunciation : Per*du", Per*due"
Part of Speech : a.
Etymology : [F. perdu, f. perdue, lost, p.p. of perdre to lose, L. perdere. See Perdition.]
Definition : 1. Lost to view; in concealment or ambush; close. He should lie perdue who is to walk the round. Fuller.

2. Accustomed to, or employed in, desperate enterprises; hence, reckless; hopeless. "A perdue captain." Beau. & Fl.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913