Despair is a strong feeling of sadness and hopelessness. When someone is in despair, they often believe that things will never improve and that there is no way out of their problems. It can occur as a reaction to difficulties or losses in life, making a person feel overwhelmed and without any hope or optimistic outlook.
The word "despair" comes from the Old French "desesperer," which means "to lose hope." This, in turn, derives from the Latin "desperare," where "de-" means "down from" or "away from" and "sperare" means "to hope." Thus, the etymology captures the essence of the word as moving away from hope.