The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Resort \Re*sort"\ (r?*z?rt"), n. [Cf. F. ressort jurisdiction.
   See Resort, v.]
   1. The act of going to, or making application; a betaking
      one's self; the act of visiting or seeking; recourse; as,
      a place of popular resort; -- often figuratively; as, to
      have resort to force.
      [1913 Webster]

            Join with me to forbid him her resort. --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. A place to which one betakes himself habitually; a place
      of frequent assembly; a haunt.
      [1913 Webster]

            Far from all resort of mirth.         --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. That to which one resorts or looks for help; resource;
      refuge.
      [1913 Webster]

   Last resort, ultimate means of relief; also, final
      tribunal; that from which there is no appeal.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

last resort
    n 1: an expedient adopted only in desperation; "`pis aller' is
         French for `worst going'" [syn: pis aller, last resort]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

44 Moby Thesaurus words for "last resort":
   action, ad hoc measure, answer, artifice, contrivance, countermove,
   coup, course of action, demarche, dernier ressort, device, dodge,
   effort, expedient, gimmick, hope, improvisation, jury-rig,
   jury-rigged expedient, last expedient, last shift, makeshift,
   maneuver, means, measure, move, pis aller, recourse, resort,
   resource, shake-up, shift, solution, step, stopgap, stratagem,
   stroke, stroke of policy, tactic, temporary expedient, trick,
   trump, working hypothesis, working proposition



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

LAST RESORT. A court of last resort, is one which decides, definitely,
without appeal or writ of error, or any other examination whatever, a suit
or action, or some other matter, which has been submitted to its judgment,
and over which it has jurisdiction.
     2. The supreme court is a court of last resort in all matters which
legally come before it; and whenever a court possesses the power to decide
without appeal or other examination whatever, a subject matter submitted to
it, it is a court of last resort; but this is not to be understood as
preventing an examination into its jurisdiction, or excess of authority, for
then the judgment of a superior does not try and decide so much whether the
point decided has been so done according to law, as to try the authority of
the inferior court.