Allurement

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈlʊɚmənt/

Definitions

1. The nature of being enticing often includes the ability to draw someone's interest or desire through charm and appeal
2. The quality that makes someone or something powerfully attractive or tempting to others
3. An appealing characteristic that draws people in by causing interest or desire

Etymology: "Allurement" is a plain English formation: the verb "allure" with the suffix "-ment" attached. The verb "allure" came into English through Old French "alurer" (to lure, from "a-" plus "lure", a term from falconry for the bait used to call a hawk back to the fist). The suffix traces further back through Latin "-mentum," a common device for turning a verb into a noun for the act, result, or means of an action. English took the suffix over from Old French "-ment," where it was already widespread, and added it to "allure" to name the quality or means by which something draws us in. The construction is essentially a fusion of a borrowed verb with a native-feeling noun ending, which is why the word feels so at home in English prose.

Synonyms: attraction, enticement, temptation, lure, charm

Antonyms: repulsion, disgust, aversion, detraction, dissuasion