siren
Use Siren in a sentence
rən noun
1.
Classical Mythology. one of several sea nymphs, part woman and part bird, who lure mariners to destruction by their seductive singing.
2.
a seductively beautiful or charming woman, especially one who beguiles men: a siren of the silver screen.
3.
an acoustical instrument for producing musical tones, consisting essentially of a disk pierced with holes arranged equidistantly in a circle, rotated over a jet or stream of compressed air, steam, or the like, so that the stream is alternately interrupted and allowed to pass.
4.
an implement of this kind used as a whistle, fog signal, or warning device.
5.
any of several aquatic, eellike salamanders of the family Sirenidae, having permanent external gills, small forelimbs, and no posterior limbs.
adjective
6.
of or like a siren.
7.
seductive or tempting, especially dangerously or harmfully: the siren call of adventure.
00:10
Siren
is always a great word to know.
So is labors of Hercules. Does it mean:
| a daughter of Oedipus who defied her uncle, King Creon, by performing funeral rites over her brother and condemned to be immured alive in a cave |
| the 12 extraordinary feats performed by Hercules for Eurystheus in order to gain immortality |
verb (used without object)
8.
to go with the siren sounding, as a fire engine.
verb (used with object)
9.
to allure in the manner of a siren.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English sereyn < Old French sereine < Late Latin Sīrēna, Latin Sīrēn < Greek Seirḗn
1300–50; Middle English sereyn < Old French sereine < Late Latin Sīrēna, Latin Sīrēn < Greek Seirḗn
Related forms
si·ren·like, adjective
Synonyms
2. seductress, temptress, vamp.
2. seductress, temptress, vamp.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To siren
Collins
World English Dictionary
siren (ˈsaɪərən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a device for emitting a loud wailing sound, esp as a warning or signal, typically consisting of a rotating perforated metal drum through which air or steam is passed under pressure |
| 2. | (sometimes capital) Greek myth one of several sea nymphs whose seductive singing was believed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks the nymphs inhabited |
| 3. | a. a woman considered to be dangerously alluring or seductive |
| b. (as modifier): her siren charms | |
| 4. | any aquatic eel-like salamander of the North American family Sirenidae, having external gills, no hind limbs, and reduced forelimbs |
| [C14: from Old French sereine, from Latin sīrēn, from Greek seirēn] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
siren
mid-14c., "sea nymph who by her singing lures sailors to their destruction," from O.Fr. sereine, from L.L. Sirena, from L. Siren, from Gk. Seiren ["Odyssey," xii.39 ff.], perhaps lit. "binder," from seira "cord, rope." Meaning "device that makes a warning sound" (on an ambulance, etc.) first recorded
1879, in reference to steamboats. Figurative sense of "one who sings sweetly and charms" is recorded from 1580s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
siren
any member of the family Sirenidae (order Caudata), a group of four species of aquatic salamanders that resemble eels. Their long, slender bodies are usually brown, dark gray, or greenish. The forelegs are tiny, and the hind legs and pelvis are absent. Young and adults have feathery gills
Learn more about siren with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Some jurisdictions may repeat siren activation every few minutes.
The air-raid siren no longer screams its call to shelters and antiaircraft batteries.
Siren system status reports were obtained for each system and examined for evidence of system failure.
During the second plane incident and the subsequent pause, there was also the wailing for a fire siren.
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