slightest connection; sliver (of hope)
Used in literary or formal contexts to describe a very faint, slender, or barely perceptible thread of something, often hope, connection, or life. Common in set phrases like 一縷の望み (a ray of hope) or 一縷の望みもない (not even a glimmer of hope).
one thread
Original literal meaning: a single thread. Now rare and mostly encountered in classical or explanatory contexts. In modern Japanese, the figurative sense (sense 1) is dominant.
He did not give up even a sliver of hope.
Even the slightest connection with the survivors was lost.
Literally, 一縷 means a single thread, but in modern usage it is mostly used figuratively.
Standard kanji spelling; the only written form.
From the kanji 一 (one) and 縷 (thread). The figurative sense of a slender connection or faint hope developed from the literal image of a single, fragile thread.