Feeling downcast and disheartened and hopeless

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1670s, from Latin despondere "to give up, lose, lose heart, resign, to promise in marriage" (especially in phrase animam despondere , literally "give up one's soul"), from the sense of a promise to give something away, from de- "away" (see de- ) + spondere ...

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. The state of being downcast or despondent.

The Collaborative International Dictionary Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Despondence \De*spond"ence\, n. Despondency. The people, when once infected, lose their relish for happiness [and] saunter about with looks of despondence. --Goldsmith.

WordNet Word definitions in WordNet
n. feeling downcast and disheartened and hopeless [syn: despondency , heartsickness , disconsolateness ]