tempt

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

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /tɛmpt/, /tɛmt/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛmpt, -ɛmt

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

• (provoke someone to do wrong): entice, fand, lure, pander, tease
• (attract; allure): beguile, entrance; see also Thesaurus:allure
• (provoke something): foment, urge; see also Thesaurus:incite

Derived terms

Derived terms

• temptation
• tempter
• tempt fate
• temptful

• temptless
• temptly
• tempt providence
• temptress
• temptsome
• temptuous

Translations

to provoke someone to do wrong

Asturian: tentar Catalan: temptar (ca) Dutch: verleiden (nl) Finnish: vietellä (fi), viekoitella (fi) French: tenter (fr) Friulian: tentâ Galician: tentar (gl) Georgian: please add this translation if you can German: in Versuchung führen, versuchen (de) Greek: Ancient: πειράζω (peirázō) Italian: tentare (it) Japanese: 誘惑する (ゆうわく-する, yūwaku-suru) Latin: tentō Macedonian: соблазни (soblazni)

Norwegian: friste Plautdietsch: vesieekjen Polish: kusić (pl) Portuguese: tentar (pt) Romanian: tenta (ro) Russian: склоня́ть (ru) impf (sklonjátʹ), склони́ть (ru) pf (sklonítʹ), увещева́ть (ru) impf (uveščevátʹ), подбива́ть (ru) impf (podbivátʹ), подби́ть (ru) pf (podbítʹ) Sardinian: tenteare Scottish Gaelic: buair Spanish: tentar (es) Telugu: ప్రేరేపించు (te) (prērēpiñcu) Turkish: ayartmak (tr), baştan çıkarmak (tr), kanına girmek Tuvaluan: fakaosooso Venetian: tantar Volapük: blufodön (vo)

to attract, allure

Catalan: temptar (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 吸引 (zh) Dutch: lokken (nl), verlokken (nl) Finnish: houkuttaa (fi) French: attirer (fr) German: locken (de) Hungarian: csábít (hu) Italian: tentare (it) Maori: whakapoapoa

Norwegian: friste Polish: nęcić (pl) impf Portuguese: tentar (pt) Romanian: ispiti (ro) Russian: соблазня́ть (ru) impf (soblaznjátʹ), соблазни́ть (ru) pf (soblaznítʹ), искуша́ть (ru) impf (iskušátʹ), искуси́ть (ru) pf (iskusítʹ), прельща́ть (ru) impf (prelʹščátʹ), прельсти́ть (ru) pf (prelʹstítʹ) Scottish Gaelic: buair Telugu: ఎర వేయు (era vēyu) Turkish: cezbetmek (tr) Ukrainian: спокуша́ти (spokušáty), прива́блювати (pryvábljuvaty) Volapük: bätön (vo)

to provoke

Catalan: temptar (ca) Dutch: uitlokken (nl) Finnish: härnätä (fi) Polish: judzić (pl) impf, podjudzić pf

Russian: провоци́ровать (ru) impf (provocírovatʹ), спровоци́ровать (ru) pf (sprovocírovatʹ) Scottish Gaelic: buair Telugu: రెచ్చగొట్టు (te) (reccagoṭṭu) Turkish: kışkırtmak (tr)

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

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Latvian

Verb

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

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

Conjugation

conjugation of tempt

	INDICATIVE (īstenības izteiksme)				IMPERATIVE (pavēles izteiksme)
		Present (tagadne)	Past (pagātne)	Future (nākotne)
1st pers. sg.	es	tempju	tempu	tempšu	—
2nd pers. sg.	tu	temp	tempi	tempsi	temp
3rd pers. sg.	viņš, viņa	tempj	tempa	temps	lai tempj
1st pers. pl.	mēs	tempjam	tempām	tempsim	tempsim
2nd pers. pl.	jūs	tempjat	tempāt	tempsiet, tempsit	tempiet
3rd pers. pl.	viņi, viņas	tempj	tempa	temps	lai tempj
RENARRATIVE (atstāstījuma izteiksme)			PARTICIPLES (divdabji)
Present	tempjot		Present Active 1 (Adj.)		tempjošs
Past	esot tempis		Present Active 2 (Adv.)		tempdams
Future	tempšot		Present Active 3 (Adv.)		tempjot
Imperative	lai tempjot		Present Active 4 (Obj.)		tempjam
CONDITIONAL (vēlējuma izteiksme)			Past Active		tempis
Present	temptu		Present Passive		—
Past	būtu tempis		Past Passive		—
DEBITIVE (vajadzības izteiksme)			NOMINAL FORMS
Indicative	(būt) jātempj		Infinitive (nenoteiksme)		tempt
Conjunctive 1	esot jātempj		Negative Infinitive		netempt
Conjunctive 2	jātempjot		Verbal noun		tempšana