tempt

English

Etymology

From Middle English tempten, from Old French tempter (French: tenter), from Latin temptare, from tentare (to handle, touch, try, test, tempt), frequentative of tenere (to hold). Displaced native English costning (temptation).

Pronunciation

Verb

tempt (third-person singular simple present tempts, present participle tempting, simple past and past participle tempted)

  1. (transitive) To provoke someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward; to entice.
    She tempted me to eat the apple.
  2. (transitive) To attract; to allure.
    Its glossy skin tempted me.
  3. (transitive) To provoke something; to court.
    It would be tempting fate.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

  • tempt in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
  • tempt in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
  • tempt at OneLook Dictionary Search

Latvian

Verb

tempt tr., 1st conj., pres. tempju, temp, tempj, past tempu

  1. to gulp
  2. to swill
  3. to quaff

Conjugation

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.