n.
Pronunciation: di- ' sper
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English despeiren, from Anglo-French desperer, from Latin desperare, from de- + sperare to hope; akin to Latin spes hope ― more at SPEED
Date: 14th century
intransitive verb : to lose all hope or confidence < despair of winning>
transitive verb obsolete : to lose hope for
– de · spair · er noun