perdu

See also: perdû

English

Alternative forms

• perdue

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French perdu, originally after sentinelle perdue.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pəˈdjuː/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uː

Adjective

perdu (not comparable)

1. (obsolete, military) Stationed in an exposed or hazardous position; hidden in ambush. Originally as sentinel perdu. [17th–19th c.]
   • 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

2. (now rare) In a dangerous situation; lost, desperate. [from 17th c.]
   • 1924, Herman Melville, chapter 7, in Billy Budd‎^[1], London: Constable & Co.:

     Among certain grizzled sea-gossips of the gun decks and forecastle went a rumor perdue […]

3. (now rare) Hidden; concealed from sight. Chiefly with lie. [from 17th c.]
   • 1642, Thomas Fuller, The Holy State, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Roger Daniel for John Williams, […], →OCLC:

     He should lie Perdue who is to walk the round.

   • 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.

Related terms

• cire perdue
• pierre perdu
• profil perdu
• recherche du temps perdu

Noun

perdu (plural perdus)

1. One placed on watch, or in ambush.
2. 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[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vii], line 35:

     To watch, poor perdu, / With this thin helm?

Anagrams

• Dupre, Prude, drupe, duper, prude, red up, red-up

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈperdu/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -erdu
• Syllabification: per‧du

Verb

perdu

1. imperative of perdi

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛʁ.dy/

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

  (file)

• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Brétigny-sur-Orge)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Homophones: perdue, perdus, perdues

Participle

perdu (feminine perdue, masculine plural perdus, feminine plural perdues)

1. past participle of perdre

Adjective

perdu (feminine perdue, masculine plural perdus, feminine plural perdues)

1. lost

Derived terms

• à corps perdu
• à fonds perdu
• bien perdu, bien connu
• cause perdue
• cire perdue
• pain perdu
• peine perdue
• rattraper le temps perdu
• trou perdu
• un de perdu, dix de retrouvés
• une de perdue, dix de retrouvées

Further reading

• “perdu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• drupe, duper

German

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French perdu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛʁˈdyː/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

perdu (indeclinable, predicative only)

1. (informal, somewhat dated) gone, lost
   • 1914, Paul Leppin, Severins Gang in die Finsternis‎^[2], →ISBN:

     Wo ist denn Ihr Hut mit der roten Straußenfeder? – fragte Severin. […] Der Hut mit der roten Feder – der ist schon lange perdu –

     Where's your hat with the red ostrich feather? – Severin asked. […] The hat with the red feather - it's been gone for a long time already –

   • 2025 February 23, Sabine am Orde, “CDU gewinnt Bundestagswahl: Klarer Sieg – unklare Zukunft”, in Die Tageszeitung: taz‎^[3], →ISSN:

     Das wäre vermutlich ein kompliziertes Bündnis – das den sofortigen und tiefgreifenden Politikwechsel, den Merz im Wahlkampf vor jeder Fernsehkamera angekündigt hat, empfindlich ausbremsen könnte. Sein zentrales Wahlkampfversprechen wäre schnell perdu.

     That would likely be a complicated alliance – potentially severely slowing down the immediate and profound political change that Merz announced into every TV camera while on the campaign trail. His central campaign promise would be gone very quickly.

Further reading

• “perdu” in Duden online
• “perdu”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[4] (in German)

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay perdu. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pərˈdu]
• Hyphenation: pêr‧du

Noun

pêrdu (plural perdu-perdu)

1. shrub: a woody plant smaller than a tree, and usually with several stems from the same base
2. clump (of trees), cluster

   Synonym: rumpun

Further reading

• “perdu”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Malay

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pərˈdu/ [pərˈdu]
• Rhymes: -du, -u
• Hyphenation: per‧du

Noun

perdu (Jawi spelling ڤردو, plural perdu-perdu or perdu²)

1. base; lower trunk (the lowest part of a tree trunk near the roots).

   Synonyms: pangkal, umbi

   Ular itu bersembunyi di perdu pokok.

   The snake hid at the base of the tree.

2. clump; cluster (a group of plants growing closely together from a single base, like bamboo).

   Synonym: rumpun

   Dia menebang satu perdu buluh.

   He cut down a clump of bamboo.

3. shrub; bush (a woody plant smaller than a tree, with multiple stems).

   Synonyms: semak, belukar

   Kawasan itu dipenuhi pokok perdu.

   That area is filled with shrubs.

Classifier

perdu (Jawi spelling ڤردو, singular seperdu)

1. classifier for clumped plants (such as bamboo, lemongrass, or pandan).

   Ibu menanam tiga perdu serai.

   Mother planted three clumps of lemongrass.

Derived terms

Affixations

• beperdu (“growing in clumps; having a base”)
• seperdu (“one clump”)

Descendants

• > Indonesian: perdu (inherited)

Further reading

• "perdu" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017