lorelei

See also: Lorelei

English

Etymology

From the Lorelei rock on the Rhine, which was haunted by one of these creatures according to German legend.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɔːɹəlaɪ/

Noun

lorelei (plural loreleis)

1. A siren; a temptress.
   • 1965, William Henry Davenport, Ben Siegel, Biography past and present: selections and critical essays:

     We grew silly, tongue-tied, said foolish things we did not mean to say, shoved one another about in the boat, and finally overturned it. The loreleis laughed musical little laughs.

   • 1977, Angela Carter, The Passion of New Eve:

     She was like a mermaid, an isolated creature that lives in fulfillment of its own senses; she lured me on, she was the lorelei of the gleaming river of traffic with its million, brilliant eyes that intermittently flowed between us.

Translations

siren, temptress

• German: Loreley (de) f