| 释义 |
si·ren
I. \ˈsīrə̇n sometimes ˈsī(ə)rn, in sense 3 “ or ÷(ˈ)sī|rēn\ noun
Etymology: Middle English serein, siren, from Middle French sereine & Latin siren; Middle French sereine, from Late Latin sirena, from Latin siren, from Greek seirēn, seirēdōn
1. -s often capitalized
a. : one of a group of creatures in Greek mythology having the heads and sometimes the breasts and arms of women but otherwise the forms of birds that were believed to lure mariners to destruction by their singing
b. obsolete : mermaid
2. -s
a. : a woman who sings with bewitching sweetness : songbird
b. : an alluringly beautiful woman
< so young and delicious a siren — Ben Hecht >
especially : one who is usually insidiously or deceptively enticing or seductive to men : temptress, femme fatale
< the slinky siren of the silent screen >
< while constantly emanating sex, she lacked the graceful presence, the subtlety of manner, the mysterious reticence of a real siren — Carey McWilliams >
3. -s [French sirène, literally, siren (sense 1), from Middle French sereine; from its property of producing sounds in water]
a. : an apparatus producing musical tones especially in acoustical studies by the rapid interruption of a current of air, steam, or fluid by a perforated rotating disk
b. : a similar device often electrically operated for producing a penetrating warning sound
< fire siren >
< ambulance siren >
< the three-minute warbling sound of the air-raid sirens — New York Times >
4.
a. capitalized [New Latin, from Latin] : a genus of elongated amphibians (family Sirenidae) having small forelimbs but lacking hind legs and pelvis and having permanent external gills as well as lungs
b. -s : any amphibian of the genus Siren or of the family Sirenidae
5. -s : sirenomelus
6. -s : sea cow 1
II. \ˈsīrə̇n sometimes ˈsī(ə)rn\ adjective
: of or relating to a siren : enticing, bewitching, beguiling
< a siren song >
< listening intently to the siren voice >
< the siren call of modern materialism — George Thomas >
III. \like siren I\ intransitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
: to proceed with siren sounding to clear the way
< fire trucks sirened to the scene from two miles away — Time > |