stillborn
adj. C1 Advanced US //ˈstɪɫˈbɔɹn// UK //stˈɪlbɔːn// still·born
adj. describing a baby that dies before or during birth. It can also describe a plan or idea that fails to work or develop.
adj. referring to a fetus that dies in the uterus before birth or during delivery. In a figurative sense, it describes a proposal or project that fails to achieve its intended purpose or progress.
The doctors worked hard to save the stillborn baby.
The committee decided to abandon the stillborn proposal after it failed to gain any support from the local residents.
While the initial concept was promising, the stillborn initiative was eventually scrapped due to a lack of funding and internal disagreements among the project leads.
From English still + born. First attested in 1597.