Tempt

How to spell tempt

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce tempt

What does tempt mean?

1. verbTo attract or persuade someone to do something, especially something unwise or pleasurable.

Tempt in a sentence

• The low price might tempt buyers into a quick decision.

• A warm bakery smell can tempt even the most disciplined dieter.

Where does tempt come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin verb temptare (also spelled tentare), which meant 'to test, to try, to handle, or to put to the proof'. In medieval Latin it took on the more pointed sense of testing someone's resolve, and from there the idea of luring a person toward a wrong or pleasurable act. English borrowed it through Old French tempter in the 1200s, originally in religious writing about the testing of faith and the enticement to sin. Over time the everyday meaning broadened to any kind of enticement, from a rich dessert to a risky bargain. The same Latin root survives in 'attempt' (to try) and 'tentative' (testing the waters), and that shared origin is a useful reminder that the spelling keeps the 'mpt' cluster, with no vowel hiding between the letters.

How the word is built

• tempt (from Latin temptare: to test, try, urge)