temptation

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the desire to have or do something that you know you should avoid

   I felt the temptation and my will power weakened.

2. 2
   noun

   Something attractive, tempting or seductive; an inducement, seducement, or enticement.

   At length, one night, when the company by ſome accident broke up much ſooner than ordinary, ſo that the candles were not half burnt out, ſhe was not able to reſiſt the temptation, but reſolved to have them ſome way or other. Accordingly, as ſoon as the hurry was over, and the ſervants, as ſhe thought, all gone to ſleep, ſhe ſtole out of her bed, and went down ſtairs, naked to her ſhift as ſhe was, with a deſign to ſteal them […]

3. 3
   noun

   the act of influencing by exciting hope or desire

4. 4
   noun

   something that seduces or has the quality to seduce

5. 5
   noun

   The act of tempting.

6. 6
   noun

   The condition of being tempted.

7. 7
   noun

   Pressure applied to one's thinking designed to create wrong emotions which will eventually lead to wrong actions.

Etymology

From Old French temptacion, from Latin temptatio. Morphologically tempt + -ation.