siren

siren
\ \ [14] The Seirēnes were sea nymphs who, according to Greek mythology, sat on rocks luring impressionable sailors to their doom with the sweetness of their singing. Latin took the word over as sīrēna, and it passed into English via Old French sereine. The term was applied to an acoustical instrument invented in 1819 by Cagniard de la Tour, that produced musical sounds and was used for measuring the frequency of sound waves, and it was this that formed the basis of its later use (in the 1870s) for a device for giving loud warning signals.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Siren — Pour les articles homonymes, voir SIREN …   Wikipédia en Français

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  • Siren — Si ren, n. [L., fr. Gr. ???: cf. F. sir[ e]ne.] 1. (Class. Myth.) One of three sea nymphs, or, according to some writers, of two, said to frequent an island near the coast of Italy, and to sing with such sweetness that they lured mariners to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Siren — Si ren, a. Of or pertaining to a siren; bewitching, like a siren; fascinating; alluring; as, a siren song. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Siren — Siren, WI U.S. village in Wisconsin Population (2000): 988 Housing Units (2000): 499 Land area (2000): 1.103843 sq. miles (2.858940 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.022314 sq. miles (0.057793 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.126157 sq. miles (2.916733 sq …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Siren, WI — U.S. village in Wisconsin Population (2000): 988 Housing Units (2000): 499 Land area (2000): 1.103843 sq. miles (2.858940 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.022314 sq. miles (0.057793 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.126157 sq. miles (2.916733 sq. km) FIPS …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • siren — sìren m <G siréna> DEFINICIJA zool. repati vodozemac (Siren lacertina) podrijetlom iz Sjeverne Amerike; dvonogi s. ETIMOLOGIJA nlat. siren, v. sirena …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Sirén — Sirén,   1) Heikki, finnischer Architekt, * Helsinki 5. 10. 1918; eröffnete 1948 mit seiner Frau Kaija (* 1920) ein Architekturbüro in Helsinki; beide zählen zu den finnischen Vertretern des Funktionalismus. Sie errichteten u. a. Wohnhäuser in… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • siren — mid 14c., sea nymph who by her singing lures sailors to their destruction, from O.Fr. sereine, from L.L. Sirena, from L. Siren, from Gk. Seiren [ Odyssey, xii.39 ff.], perhaps lit. binder, from seira cord, rope. Meaning device that makes a… …   Etymology dictionary

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