tem(p)ˈtāshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English temptacioun, from Old French temptation, tentation, from Late Latin temptation-, temptatio, tentation-, tentatio, from Latin temptatus, tentatus (past participle of temptare, tentare ) + -ion-, -io -ion
1.
a. : the act of tempting or the state of being tempted especially to evil : allurement , enticement , seduction
it is a temptation to abandon hopes of which the realization seems distant and difficult — Bertrand Russell
b. : something tempting : a cause or occasion of enticement
view it, and lay the bright temptation down — John Dryden
2. : testing , trial
3. obsolete : a severely trying experience : a painful affliction