Lure

How to spell lure

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce lure

What does lure mean?

1. verbTo tempt or attract someone or something toward a place or course of action, often by promising a reward.
2. nounSomething that attracts or tempts, including an artificial bait used in fishing.

Lure in a sentence

• verb

  Low prices can lure shoppers into the larger store across town.

• noun

  The lure of a higher salary persuaded her to move overseas.

• verb

  Recruiters often try to lure skilled staff away from rival firms.

• noun

  He tied a bright lure to his line before casting into the river.

Where does lure come from?

Language of origin: French

Lure came into English in the early 1300s from the Old French word luere or loirre, which named the bunch of feathers a falconer swung on a cord to call a trained hawk back to the wrist. That French word was itself borrowed from a Frankish, and therefore Germanic, source related to words for enticing or calling. From this very practical falconry tool the meaning broadened: first to any bait used to draw an animal, then to the figurative idea of anything that tempts a person toward something. The fishing sense, an artificial bait that imitates prey, grew naturally from the same image of something dangled to attract. Because the word is short and the 'ure' ending sounds the same as in 'pure' and 'cure', its spelling rarely troubles adults, though the silent shaping of that final 'e' is the only thing to watch.

How the word is built

• lure (single root, from Old French luere: a falconer's bait); no prefix or suffix