Entices

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Draws someone in by presenting an attractive or tempting feature
2. Lures or tempts a person through the promise of something enjoyable or beneficial
3. Persuades or convinces by making something seem appealing or worth having

Etymology: "Entices" is the third-person singular form of "entice," so the verb itself is what needs explaining. Its root image is literal fire: the Vulgar Latin "*intitiāre" meant "to set on fire," built from "in-" and "titiō," a firebrand or kindling tool. That sense passed through Old French "enticier," which still meant to stir up or excite rather than to lure, before Middle English took it up as "enticen." The shift from burning to beguiling makes sense once you picture what a firebrand does: it gets things going. Someone who is enticed has been roused, set alight with desire, and the rewards offered are the kindling. The verb keeps that sense of being drawn toward something by an inner heat rather than simply being pushed or ordered.

Synonyms: allures, tempts, attracts, lures, seduces

Antonyms: repels, disgusts, rejects, dissuades, alienates