Background for siren

siren

/ˈsaɪəɹən/ /ˈsaɪɹən/

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noun

One of a group of nymphs who lured mariners to their death on the rocks.

Examples :

"The ancient mariners covered their ears, fearing the alluring song of the siren would tempt them to crash their ship on the nearby rocks. "

mythology literature nautical sailing supernatural

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noun

One who sings sweetly and charms.

Examples :

"Maria's voice was like a siren, enchanting everyone who heard her sing at the school concert. "

mythology literature person character music nautical

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noun

A dangerously seductive woman.

Examples :

"The new student was a siren, captivating everyone with her charm and intelligence. "

mythology person character literature

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noun

A member of an order of mammals of Sirenia (first attested in French in Dominique Bouhours, Les entretiens d'Ariste et d'Eugène, 1671).

Examples :

"The zoo's new exhibit featured a manatee, a type of siren. "

organism animal biology

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noun

A member of a genus of aquatic salamanders of the family Sirenidae (originally introduced by Linnaeus, 1766, for a genus of his reptiles), commonly used for all species subsumed under the family of Sirenidae.

Examples :

"The zoologist studied the siren, a type of aquatic salamander, for her research project. "

animal biology organism nature

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noun

Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Hestina.

Examples :

"The butterfly garden at school had several beautiful sirens. "

organism animal insect biology nature

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noun

A device, either mechanical or electronic, that makes a piercingly loud sound as an alarm or signal, or the sound from such a device (first recorded 1879).

Examples :

"The fire department's siren wailed loudly, signaling a serious emergency. "

device sound signal technology electronics machine communication utility

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noun

A musical instrument, one of the few aerophones in the percussion section of the symphony orchestra (patented as Acme Siren in 1895).

Examples :

"The band practiced their final piece for the school concert, featuring a powerful Acme Siren. "

music sound entertainment technology

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noun

An instrument for demonstrating the laws of beats and combination tones.

Examples :

"The physics teacher used a siren to demonstrate how different sound waves combine. "

sound technology physics machine device

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noun

An astrophysical event that can be used for calculating cosmic distances.

Examples :

"Astronomers used the supernova, a cosmic siren, to determine how far away the galaxy was. "

astronomy physics space phenomena science

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verb

To make a noise with, or as if with, a siren.

Examples :

"The ambulance sirened loudly as it sped past, alerting everyone to the emergency. "

sound technology signal device communication machine

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adjective

Relating to or like a siren.

Examples :

"The teacher's voice had a siren quality, captivating the students' attention. "

mythology sound nautical music literature