Emily Dickinson Lexicon

HOPE, n.¹ [Sax. hopa; D. hoop; Sw. hopp; Dan. haab; G. hoffnung; Qu. L. cupio. Class Gb. The primary sense is to extend, to reach forward.]

1. A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety. The hypocrite's hope shall perish. Job viii. He wish'd, but not with hope. Milton. Sweet hope! kind cheat! Crashaw. He that lives upon hope, will die fasting. Franklin.
2. Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as, a hope founded on God's gracious promises; a Scriptural sense. A well founded Scriptural hope, is, in our religion, the source of ineffable happiness.
3. That which gives hope; he or that which furnishes ground of expectation, or promises desired good. The hope of Israel is the Messiah. The Lord will be the hope of his people. Joel iii.
4. An opinion or belief not amounting to certainty, but grounded on substantial evidence. The Christian indulges a hope, that his sins are pardoned.