siren

5 definitions found

siren - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Next where the sirens dwell you plow the seas;
              Their song is death, and makes destruction please.
                                                    --Pope.
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     2. An enticing, dangerous woman. --Shak.
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     3. Something which is insidious or deceptive.
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              Consumption is a siren.               --W. Irving.
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     4. A mermaid. [Obs.] --Shak.
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     5. (Zool.) Any long, slender amphibian of the genus Siren
        or family Sirenidae, 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.
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     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.]
        [1913 Webster]

  Siren \Si"ren\, a.
     Of or pertaining to a siren; bewitching, like a siren;
     fascinating; alluring; as, a siren song.
     [1913 Webster]

siren - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  Siren
      n 1: a sea nymph (part woman and part bird) supposed to lure
           sailors to destruction on the rocks where the nymphs lived;
           "Odysseus ordered his crew to plug their ears so they would
           not hear the Siren's fatal song"
      2: a woman who is considered to be dangerously seductive [syn:
         enchantress, temptress, siren, Delilah, femme   fatale
         ]
      3: a warning signal that is a loud wailing sound
      4: an acoustic device producing a loud often wailing sound as a
         signal or warning
      5: eellike aquatic North American salamander with small
         forelimbs and no hind limbs; have permanent external gills

siren - U.S. Gazetteer (1990) :

  Siren, WI (village, FIPS 74175)
    Location: 45.78368 N, 92.37997 W
    Population (1990): 863 (456 housing units)
    Area: 2.6 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water)
    Zip code(s): 54872

siren - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  200 Moby Thesaurus words for "siren":
     Circe, Davy, Davy Jones, Don Juan, Dylan, Euryale, Gorgon, Jezebel,
     Klaxon, Lorelei, Mayday, Medea, Medusa, Neptune, Nereid, Nereus,
     Oceanid, Oceanus, Parthenope, Poseidon, SOS, Siren, Stheno, Thetis,
     Triton, Varuna, air-raid alarm, alarm, alarm bell, alarm clock,
     alarm signal, alarum, alert, all clear, alluring, appealing,
     appetizing, attracting, attractive, beacon, beguiling, beldam,
     bewitcher, bewitching, bitch-kitty, blandishing, blinking light,
     boiler factory, boiler room, bull-roarer, burglar alarm, buzzer,
     cajoling, captivating, catcall, catching, charismatic, charmer,
     charming, cherry bomb, clack, clacker, clapper, coaxing,
     come-hither, coquette, coquettish, cracker, cricket, crostarie,
     drawing, enchanter, enchanting, enchantress, engaging, enravishing,
     enthralling, enticer, enticing, entrancing, exciting, exotic,
     fascinating, femme fatale, fetching, fiery cross, fire alarm,
     fire bell, fire flag, firecracker, five-minute gun, flashing light,
     flirt, flirtatious, fog bell, fog signal, foghorn,
     fresh-water nymph, fury, gale warning, glamorous, grimalkin, hag,
     hellcat, hellhag, hooter, horn, hue and cry, hurricane warning,
     hypnotic, interesting, intriguing, inveigler, inviting,
     irresistible, kelpie, lighthouse, limniad, magnetic, man fish,
     mermaid, merman, mesmeric, mouth-watering, naiad, nix, nixie,
     noisemaker, note of alarm, occulting light, ocean nymph, piquant,
     police whistle, prepossessing, provocative, provoquant, rattle,
     rattlebox, ravishing, sea devil, sea god, sea nymph, sea-maid,
     sea-maiden, seaman, seducer, seducing, seductive, seductress,
     she-devil, she-wolf, signal, signal of distress, sirenic,
     small-craft warning, snapper, sorceress, spellbinder, spellbinding,
     spellful, steam whistle, still alarm, storm cone, storm flag,
     storm warning, taking, tantalizing, teaser, teasing, tempter,
     tempting, temptress, termagant, tickling, ticktack, tigress,
     titillating, titillative, tocsin, two-minute gun, undine,
     upside-down flag, vamp, vampire, virago, vixen, wailer, warble,
     warning, water god, water spirit, water sprite, whistle, whizgig,
     whizzer, wildcat, winning, winsome, witch, witching