SIREN
What does "SIREN" mean?
A device that makes a loud warning sound, or a mythical creature whose singing lured sailors to their doom.
Meanings
- A loud warning device that produces a piercing, wailing sound. The ambulance siren cleared the traffic ahead.
- In Greek mythology, a creature, part woman and part bird, whose singing lured sailors onto the rocks. Odysseus had himself bound to the mast to resist the sirens' song.
- A dangerously alluring woman or temptation. The casino was a siren calling him back to the tables. figurative
Did you know?
- The siren on an ambulance is named after the Sirens of Greek myth - the warning device was built by physicist Charles Cagniard de la Tour around 1819 and borrowed their deadly song.
- The classical Sirens were part-bird, not part-fish; the mermaid-tailed siren is a later mix-up, even though it now lends its name to a famous coffee logo.
Word origin
From Greek 'Seiren', the name of the mythical singers who lured sailors; the warning-device sense was coined in the 1810s, naming the loud instrument after the deadly song.
Remember it
SIREN holds 'sire' plus N - a sound so commanding it could summon a king.
A little poem
Bound to the mast, he chose to hear-
the only sailor who survived the song
by keeping his hands tied to his desire.
tercet
Wordplay
- The myth and the fire truck both have sirens: one lures you toward danger, the other warns you away - same word, opposite advice.
What it teaches
The same sound can warn or seduce; wisdom is knowing which siren you are hearing.
Quick facts
What does SIREN mean?
A device that makes a loud warning sound, or a mythical creature whose singing lured sailors to their doom.
Is SIREN a valid word?
Yes — SIREN is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is SIREN?
SIREN has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does SIREN come from?
From Greek 'Seiren', the name of the mythical singers who lured sailors; the warning-device sense was coined in the 1810s, naming the loud instrument after the deadly song.
What can SIREN teach us?
The same sound can warn or seduce; wisdom is knowing which siren you are hearing.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.