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siren - 7 dictionary results
si⋅ren
[sahy-ruh
n] 
–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, esp. 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, esp. dangerously or harmfully: the siren call of adventure. |
–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; ME sereyn < OF sereine < LL Sīrēna, L Sīrēn < Gk Seir
n
1300–50; ME sereyn < OF sereine < LL Sīrēna, L Sīrēn < Gk Seir
nRelated 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. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To siren
| si·ren (sī'rən) n.
[French sirène, from Old French sereine, Siren, from Late Latin Sīrēna, from Latin Sīrēn, from Greek Seirēn.] |
| Si·ren (sī'rən) n.
[Middle English serein, from Old French sereine; see siren.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Siren
Si"ren\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ???: cf. F. sir[`e]ne.]1. (Class. Myth.) One of three sea nymphs, -- or, according to some writers, of two, -- said to frequent an island near the coast of Italy, and to sing with such sweetness that they lured mariners to destruction. Next where the sirens dwell you plow the seas; Their song is death, and makes destruction please. --Pope. 2. An enticing, dangerous woman. --Shak. 3. Something which is insidious or deceptive. Consumption is a siren. --W. Irving. 4. A mermaid. [Obs.] --Shak. 5. (Zo["o]l.) Any long, slender amphibian of the genus Siren or family Sirenid[ae], destitute of hind legs and pelvis, and having permanent external gills as well as lungs. They inhabit the swamps, lagoons, and ditches of the Southern United States. The more common species (Siren lacertina) is dull lead-gray in color, and becames two feet long. 6. [F. sir[`e]ne, properly, a siren in sense 1.] (Acoustics) An instrument for producing musical tones and for ascertaining the number of sound waves or vibrations per second which produce a note of a given pitch. The sounds are produced by a perforated rotating disk or disks. A form with two disks operated by steam or highly compressed air is used sounding an alarm to vessels in fog. [Written also sirene, and syren.]Siren
Si"ren\, a. Of or pertaining to a siren; bewitching, like a siren; fascinating; alluring; as, a siren song.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : siren
Spanish:
sirena,
German:
die Sirene,
Japanese:
サイレン
siren
c.1366, "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. Fig. sense of "one who sings sweetly and charms" is recorded from 1590.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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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
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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