allure

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English aluren,^[2][3][4] borrowed from Anglo-Norman alurer,^[5][6][7][8] also aleurer and aluirer, "to lure a hawk",^[9] corresponding to Old French aleurer, aloirrier.^[5][7] The French verb was formed from a- (“to”), from Latin ad-, and loirre (“falconer's lure”),^{[4][5][6][3][10]} so that the Anglo-Norman word meant to bring back a hawk with a lure, and then to captivate.^[6][9] Loirre is the source of lure and is of Germanic origin,^[4][9] from Frankish *loþr;^[11][6] Klein relates it to German Luder (“lure, bait; carrion”) and Old High German luoder, and to the verbs Old English laþian (“to call, invite”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌸𐍉𐌽 (laþōn) and German laden (“to invite”).^[11] Etymonline suggests that the English word was perhaps influenced by French allure (“gait, way of walking”).^[6] The noun is from the verb.^[9][7][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To entice or attract someone: 1402, in the line "Alle these ben alured to ȝoure sory secte".^[2][5] The OED dates its first record to before 1450 (perhaps 1419–20), in Friar Daw's Reply, and the Anglo-Norman verb to the 13th century.^[9][8]

Semantic evolution

The verb kept the falconer's idea of drawing a creature towards a bait: in English it was first used of drawing people to a party or person (before 1450), then to a place (1531, in Elyot's Governour) and to a course of action (about 1577).^[9] From about 1532 it also meant simply to fascinate or charm.^[9] The plain falconry term was taken over by the related lure.^[6][12] Johnson (1755) defined the noun as something set up to entice birds, adding that "we now write lure".^[12] The noun, attractiveness or fascination, is recorded from 1534, in John Heywood's Play of Love;^[9][3] Etymonline remarks that this sense properly belongs to allurement.^[6] Merriam-Webster singles out the power to attract through personal charm.^[3] In Scots it also meant an attraction or inducement.^[13]

Timeline

• 1402 – to entice or attract someone.^[2][5] The OED's first record is from before 1450.^[9]
• 1531 – to entice someone to a place.^[9]
• c. 1532 – to fascinate, to charm.^[9]
• 1534 – noun, attraction, fascination.^[9][3]
• c. 1577 – to tempt someone into a course of action.^[9]
• 1755 – Johnson defines the noun as a bait set up to entice birds.^[12]

Meanings

Verb

1. To entice or tempt someone with something attractive or advantageous: The offer of free meals allured hundreds of volunteers.^[14][3][9]
2. To attract or fascinate; to charm.^[9][3]

Noun

1. The power to attract or fascinate; appeal, especially through personal charm or glamour: the allure of the open road.^[14][3][7]

Word family

• allurement
• allurer
• alluringly
• unallured

Related words

• lure

Usage notes

English also took allure (“gait”), from aller (“to go”), in the sense "bearing, air, manner" (1841),^[9] which the Shorter Oxford calls rare and gives a French pronunciation.^[7] The verb has two current pronunciations in British English, with and without /j/.^[9][14]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
5. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
12. ^ a b c Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
13. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
14. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins