siren
1. 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 destruction. Next where the sirens dwell you plow the seas; Their song is death, and makes destruction please. (pope)
2. An enticing, dangerous woman.
3. Something which is insidious or deceptive. Consumption is a siren. (W. Irving)
4. A mermaid.
5. (Science: zoology) Any long, slender amphibian of the genus Siren or family Sirenidae, destitute of hind legs and pelvis, and having permanent external gills as well as lungs. They inhabit the swamps, lagoons, and ditches of the southern united states. The more common species (Siren lacertina) is dull lead–gray in colour, and becames two feet long.
6. F. Sirene, properly, a siren in sense 1.
(Science: physics) An instrument for producing musical tones and for ascertaining the number of sound waves or vibrations per second which produce a note of a given pitch. The sounds are produced by a perforated rotating disk or disks. A form with two disks operated by steam or highly compressed air is used sounding an alarm to vessels in fog.
Alternative forms: sirene, and syren.
Origin: L, fr. Gr., cf. F. Sirene.
Source: Webst
400
ers Dictionary
Dictionary > Siren
You will also like...

Genetic Engineering Advantages & Disadvantages
This tutorial presents the benefits and the possible adverse eventualities of genetic engineering. Know more about this ..

Neurology of Illusions
Illusions are the perceptions and sensory data obtained from situations in which human error prevents us from seeing the..

Role of Golgi Apparatus & Endoplasmic Reticulum in Protein Synthesis
The endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus are the organelles involved in the translation step of protein synthesis a..

Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri)
Meet the colorful takahē, an extremely rare flightless bird. Find out more about its unique features and why they matte..

Bryophytes
Bryophytes (nonvascular plants) are a plant group characterized by lacking vascular tissues. They include the mosses, th..

Neural Control Mechanisms
Neurons generate electric signals that they pass along to the other neurons or target tissues. In this tutorial, you wil..