lure
pronunciation
How to pronounce lure in British English:
UK [lʊə(r)]
How to pronounce lure in American English:
US [lʊr]
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- Noun:
- qualities that attract by seeming to promise some kind of reward
- anything that serves as an enticement
- something used to lure victims into danger
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- Verb:
- provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion
Word Origin
- lure (n.)
- early 14c., "something which allures or entices, an attraction" (a figurative use), also "bait for recalling hawks," from Anglo-French lure, Old French loirre "device used to recall hawks, lure," from Frankish *loþr or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *lothran "to call" (cognates: Middle High German luoder, Middle Low German loder "lure, bait," German Luder "lure, deceit, bait;" also Old English laþian "to call, invite," German laden). Originally a bunch of feathers on a long cord, from which the hawk is fed during its training. Used of means of alluring other animals (especially fish) from c. 1700. Technically, bait is something the animal can eat; lure is a more general term. Also in 15c. a collective word for a group of young women.
- lure (v.)
- late 14c., of hawks, also of persons, from lure (n.). Related: Lured; luring.
Example
- 1. I was attracted to the lure of the unusual .
- 2. They fashion a sticky lure suspended on a single line of silk .
- 3. Its phones and tablets lure consumers into its lucrative itunes ecosystem .
- 4. Cheap luxury is often the lure .
- 5. Yet even the best lure is useless if it is alone in the water .