Definition

1. Noun:
   • A mythical creature: In Greek mythology, a siren is a creature, often part woman and part bird, whose beautiful singing lured sailors to shipwreck on rocky coasts.
   • A seductive woman: A woman who is considered dangerously alluring or seductive.
   • A warning device: An acoustic device that produces a loud, often wailing sound, used as a signal or warning (e.g., on emergency vehicles).
   • A warning sound: The loud, wailing sound produced by such a device.
   • An amphibian: A type of eel-like, aquatic salamander with permanent external gills and very small limbs.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Mythical Creature):

  • In Homer's Odyssey, the hero Odysseus had his crew tie him to the mast so he could hear the sirens' song without being drawn to his doom.
  • The ancient vase was painted with an image of a siren perched on a rock.

• Noun (Seductive Woman):

  • The film noir featured a classic siren who used her charms to entrap the unsuspecting detective.
  • He was completely captivated by the siren of the stage.

• Noun (Warning Device/Sound):

  • The air raid siren echoed through the city, sending people to shelters.
  • We heard the ambulance siren and pulled over to the side of the road.

• Noun (Amphibian):

  • The lesser siren is a salamander that lives in muddy ponds and can survive droughts.

Advanced Usage

• "Siren song" or "siren call": An alluring appeal or attraction that is dangerous or potentially destructive.
  • The promise of quick wealth was a siren song that led many to invest in the fraudulent scheme.
• "Siren suit": A one-piece garment for the whole body, originally designed for wearing during air raids in WWII.
  • Winston Churchill was famously photographed in his siren suit.

Variants and Related Words

• Sirenic (adj): Relating to or resembling a siren; alluring but dangerous.
  • The politician made sirenic promises that were impossible to keep.

Synonyms

• For the mythical creature/enchantress: Temptress, enchantress, seductress, Lorelei.
• For the warning device: Alarm, hooter, whistle, alert.
• For the sound: Wail, howl, blare.

Related Phrases

• To sound the siren: To activate the warning device.
  • The police will sound the siren to clear traffic.
• Siren goes off: When a siren begins to sound.
  • When the tornado siren goes off, you should seek shelter immediately.

Related Idioms

• A siren's song: Something that is very attractive but also dangerous or harmful.
  • For him, gambling was a siren's song that eventually ruined him financially.

Noun

1. eellike aquatic North American salamander with small forelimbs and no hind limbs; have permanent external gills
2. an acoustic device producing a loud often wailing sound as a signal or warning
3. a warning signal that is a loud wailing sound
4. a woman who is considered to be dangerously seductive
5. 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