siren
siren Lexical Profile
siren Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A mechanical or electronic device that produces a loud, piercing, wailing sound as a warning signal, commonly mounted on emergency vehicles or used for civil defense.
"Drivers pulled over to the side of the road as soon as they heard the ambulance's siren."
In Greek mythology, one of several winged creatures or sea nymphs whose irresistibly sweet singing lured mariners to their destruction on rocky coasts.
"In the Odyssey, Odysseus had his crew plug their ears with beeswax to resist the song of the sirens."
A woman considered to be dangerously alluring, captivating, or seductive.
"The actress rose to fame playing glamorous screen sirens in classic noir films."
An eel-shaped, permanently aquatic amphibian of the family Sirenidae, native to the southeastern United States and northern Mexico, characterized by external feathery gills, small forelimbs, and the absence of hind limbs.
"The greater siren burrows into muddy pond bottoms and can survive prolonged droughts by encasing itself in a mucous cocoon."
• adjective
Alluring, tempting, or deceptively attractive in a way that leads to danger or ruin.
"Many investors were drawn in by the siren promise of effortless overnight wealth."
• Rhymes for siren
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English syrene, borrowed via Old French seraine and Late Latin sirena from Ancient Greek Seirēn, denoting the mythical winged nymphs whose enchanting singing lured sailors to shipwreck. The sense of an acoustic warning device was coined in 1819 by French physicist Charles Cagniard de la Tour because his invention could produce sound underwater.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.