Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To attract or lead (someone) away from proper behavior or thinking: synonym: lure.
  • transitive verb To induce (someone) to engage in sexual activity, as by flirting or persuasion.
  • transitive verb To entice into a different state or position.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To lead aside or astray; entice away from duty, legal obligation, or rectitude, as by promises, bribes, etc.; corrupt; specifically, to entice (a woman) to a surrender of chastity. See seduction, 2.
  • Synonyms Lure, Decoy, etc. See allure, and list under entice.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To draw aside from the path of rectitude and duty in any manner; to entice to evil; to lead astray; to tempt and lead to iniquity; to corrupt.
  • transitive verb Specifically, to induce to engage in sexual intercourse.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To beguile or lure someone away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct. To lead astray.
  • verb To entice or induce someone to engage in a sexual relationship
  • verb To win over or attract someone

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb induce to have sex
  • verb lure or entice away from duty, principles, or proper conduct

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English seduisen, from Old French seduire, seduis-, alteration (influenced by Medieval Latin sēdūcere, to lead astray) of suduire, to seduce, from Latin subdūcere, to withdraw : sub-, sub- + dūcere, to lead; see deuk- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Borrowed from Latin seducere ("to lead apart or astray"), from se- ("aside, away, astray") + ducere ("to lead"); see duct. Compare adduce, conduce, deduce, etc.

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