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).
He did not give up even a sliver 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.
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.