Lorelei Hear it!

Lorelei definition

Lor·elei (lôr′ə lī′)

noun

Gmc. Folklore a siren whose singing on a rock in the Rhine lures sailors to shipwreck on the reefs: originally a character in literature

Etymology: Ger, altered by C. Brentano (1778-1842), Ger poet, after Lurlei, name of the rock (prob. lit., “ambush cliff”) < MHG luren, to watch, lower + lei, a cliff, rock

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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