I. ˈlu̇(ə)r, -u̇ə noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, enticement, falconer's lure, from Middle French loire, loirre falconer's lure, from Old French, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Low German lōder bait, Middle High German luoder; akin to Old English lathian to invite, Old High German ladōn, Old Norse latha, Gothic lathon to call, invite, and perhaps to Greek laimos wanton, impudent, greedy
1. : a bunch of feathers roughly resembling a bird, attached to a long cord, often baited with raw meat, and used by a falconer to recall a hawk
2.
a. : an alluring prospect : inducement to pleasure or gain : enticement , incentive
lure of adventure
lure of a pleasant climate
threw out all the lures of her beauty … to make a prize of his heart — T.L.Peacock
prohibited all inheritance taxes … as a lure to wealthy settlers — C.P.Curtis
textbooks … designed as lures to learning — Sloan Wilson
b.
(1) : drawing power : appeal , attraction
a situation that has, in itself, an intense and universal lure — Louis Kronenberger
salmon … have for him a quite irresistible lure — J.E.Sayers
the high-pitched song of fine thin glass, the lure of its translucent depths — Martin James
the sets and costumes lack lure — Time
(2) archaic : a blandishment used in an attempt to gain control
time stoops to no man's lure — A.C.Swinburne
3. : a heraldic figure of two wings joined with the tips downward with a leash attached
a pair of wings inverted conjoined in lure or — E.E.Reynolds
4.
a. : a device or decoy for attracting animals to capture
uses about three kinds of lures, one being oil catnip which actually makes a bobcat … easy to get in a trap — Fur-Fish-Game
specifically : live or artificial bait used for catching fish
fishermen casting every kind of lure you've ever seen — Stewart Beach
— compare fly V 4
b. : trap , snare
this flamboyant role … is a lure and pitfall for an ambitious singing actress — Douglas Watt
party leaders sought to … set a special lure for the state's support — U.S. News & World Report
c. : a structure resembling a tassle on the head of pediculate fishes that is often luminous and is used to attract prey
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English luren, from Middle French loirier, from Old French, from loire, loirre, n.
transitive verb
1. archaic
a. : to recall (a hawk) by means of a lure
b. : to call (as a hawk) to the lure
O for a falconer's voice to lure this tercel-gentle back again — Shakespeare
2. : to tempt with a promise of pleasure or gain : allure , attract , entice , invite
don't let money lure you into a job you don't like — W.J.Reilly
the magic of a full moon had lured me from my laboratory — William Beebe
lured able … men to his staffs — W.T.Ridder
raised almost half a million dollars to lure new industries to their town — T.E.Murphy
— often used with on or onward
knowledge … keeps luring him on — H.A.Overstreet
towering cliffs … challenge him, lure him onward — G.I.Bell
intransitive verb
1. archaic : to call a hawk to the lure
2. obsolete : to call loudly : halloo
Synonyms:
: entice , inveigle , decoy , tempt , seduce : lure may mean to draw into danger, evil, or difficulty by ruse or wiles
it was not money that lured the adolescent husbandman to the cities, but the gay life — H.L.Mencken
lured into the imperfect world of coarse uncompleted passion — Oscar Wilde
or merely to offer an inducement
salt mines, which lured the Celts to settle on prehistoric encampments — Claudia Cassidy
entice may suggest artful coaxing
she appeared to be playing with the bird, possibly amusing herself by trying to entice it on to her hand — W.H.Hudson †1922
the fellow — for all his gentle voice — was a deceiver; enticing people to follow him about and listen to his prattle — L.C.Douglas
inveigle may mean persuading one against his will or better judgment
I hope to be able to call and see you there, instead of inveigling you into these surreptitious meetings, even although they have the charm of secrecy — William Black
decoy means to lead into danger or entrap by artifice
the islanders had been living in relative opulence from the wreckage of ships which they had skillfully decoyed to destruction on the reefs — Thomas Barbour
tempt means to arouse a desire sometimes contrary to one's conscience or better judgment
“I was forgetting,” she said. “I am forbidden tea. I mustn't drink it.” She looked at the cup, tremendously tempted. She longed for tea. An occasional transgression could not harm her — Arnold Bennett
seated bolt upright in a chair that would have tempted a good-humored person to recline — G.B.Shaw
seduce means to lead astray, usually from propriety, duty, or morality
the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder — E.A.Poe
watching the seditious crew of “Congress men” seducing the colonials into unnatural rebellion against the best of kings and fathers — V.L.Parrington
or to delude
words when used with the gift of magic can seduce a reader into belief that has no roots in reality — Rose Feld
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: short for velure
: a heated pad for lustering felt hats
IV. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to rub (felt) with a lure