Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Siren |
SirenNoun1. A sea nymph (part woman and part bird) supposed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks where the nymphs lived; "Odysseus ordered his crew to plug their ears so they would not hear the Siren's fatal song". 2. A woman who is considered to be dangerously seductive. 3. A warning signal that is a loud wailing sound. 4. An acoustic device producing a loud often wailing sound as a signal or warning. 5. Eel-like aquatic North American salamander with small forelimbs and no hind limbs; have permanent external gills. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "Siren" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
Etymology: Siren \Si"ren\, noun. [Latin, from Greek: compare to French sir[`e]ne.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Satire | SIREN, n. One of several musical prodigies famous for a vain attempt to dissuade Odysseus from a life on the ocean wave. Figuratively, any lady of splendid promise, dissembled purpose and disappointing performance. Source: Devil's Dictionary. |
Literature | Siren A woman of dangerous blandishments. The allusion is to the fabulous sirens said by Greek and Latin poets to entice seamen by the sweetness of their song to such a degree that the listeners forgot everything and died of hunger (Greek, sirenes, entanglers). In Homeric mythology there were but two sirens; later writers name three, viz. Parthenope, Ligea, and Leucosia; but the number was still further augmented by those who loved "lords many and gods many." "There were several sirens up and down the coast; one at Panormus, another at Naples, others at Surrentum, but the greatest number lived in the delightful Capreae, whence they passed over to the rocks [Sirenusae] which bear their name."- Inquiry into the Life of Homer. Sirens. Plato says there are three kinds of sirens- the celestial, the generative, and the cathartic. The first are under the government of Jupiter, the second under the government of Neptune, and the third under the government of Pluto. When the soul is in heaven, the sirens seek, by harmonic motion, to unite it to the divine life of the celestial host; and when in Hade, to conform them to the infernal regimen; but on earth they produce generation, of which the sea is emblematic. (Proclus: On the Thelogy of Plato, bk. vi.). Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were sea nymphs who lived on a island surrounded by cliffs and rocks. Approaching sailors were drawn to them by their enchanting singing, causing them to sail on the cliffs and drown. They were considered the daughters of Achelous (by Terpsichore) or Phorcys. Virgil. V. 846; Ovid XIV, 88
According to some versions, they were playmates of a young Persephone and were changed into the monsters of lore by Demeter for not interfering when Persephone was abducted. Ovid V, 551
Odysseus escaped the Sirens by having all his sailors plug their ears with wax and tie him to the mast. He was curious as to what the Sirens sounded like. When he heard their beautiful music, he ordered the sailors to untie him but they ignored him. When they had passed out of earshot, Odysseus stopped thrashing about and calmed down, and was released. Odyssey XII, 39
Jason had been warned by Chiron that Orpheus would be necessary in his journey. When Orpheus heard their voices, he withdrew his lyre and played his music more beautifully than they, drowning out their music.
It is said that after a ship successfully sailed by the Sirens, they drowned themselves for their failure. Traditions associate this ship with both Jason and Odysseus.
Alternative: Seirenes
The word siren is nowadays used for devices making sound to alarm others, such as the air raid siren or the sirens on ambulances, police and fire brigade cars. The siren, which is a free aerophone, consists of a disk with holes in it, rotated so that the holes interrupt the air coming out of a hole. Siren was also the name of an American television show, in which actress Danica McKellar sometimes appeared. See also: Siren (amphibian)
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Siren."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Siren is a town located in Burnett County, Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 873.Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 93.2 km² (36.0 mi²). 81.4 km² (31.4 mi²) of it is land and 11.8 km² (4.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 12.69% water.Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 873 people, 378 households, and 266 families residing in the town. The population density is 10.7/km² (27.8/mi²). There are 717 housing units at an average density of 8.8 persons/km² (22.8 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 97.14% White, 0.11% African American, 1.60% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 0.92% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 378 households out of which 25.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% are married couples living together, 7.9% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 29.4% are non-families. 23.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.31 and the average family size is 2.68. In the town the population is spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 45 years. For every 100 females there are 107.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 106.0 males. The median income for a household in the town is $36,397, and the median income for a family is $40,781. Males have a median income of $31,726 versus $20,179 for females. The per capita income for the town is $19,434. 6.1% of the population and 2.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.8% are under the age of 18 and 3.2% are 65 or older.Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Siren (town), Wisconsin."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Siren is a village located in Burnett County, Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 988.Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.9 km² (1.1 mi²). 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.77% water.Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 988 people, 413 households, and 230 families residing in the village. The population density is 346.8/km² (895.1/mi²). There are 499 housing units at an average density of 175.1 persons/km² (452.1 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 95.85% White, 0.10% African American, 2.02% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. 0.10% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 413 households out of which 26.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% are married couples living together, 10.9% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 44.3% are non-families. 39.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 18.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.15 and the average family size is 2.85. In the village the population is spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 26.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there are 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.3 males. The median income for a household in the village is $24,342, and the median income for a family is $31,797. Males have a median income of $27,250 versus $21,635 for females. The per capita income for the village is $14,792. 18.3% of the population and 12.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 22.6% are under the age of 18 and 18.9% are 65 or older.Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Siren (village), Wisconsin."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
SIREN | English | Security in regional networks | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: SirenSynonyms: enchantress (n), femme fatale (n), temptress (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Demon | Merman, mermaid, merfolk; siren; satyr, faun; manito, manitou, manitu. |
Evil doer | Harpy, siren; Furies, Eumenides. |
Motive | Prompter, tempter; seducer, seductor; instigator, firebrand, incendiary; Siren, Circe; agent provocateur; lobbyist. |
Ocean | Hydrography, hydrographer; Neptune, Poseidon, Thetis, Triton, Naiad, Nereid; sea nymph, Siren; trident, dolphin. |
Sorcerer | Katerfelto, Cagliostro, Mesmer, Rosicrucian; Circe, siren, weird sisters. |
Warning | Handwriting on the wall, mene mene tekel upharsin, red flag, yellow flag; fog-signal, foghorn; siren; monitor, warning voice, Cassandra, signs of the times, Mother Cary's chickens, stormy petrel, bird of ill omen, gathering clouds, clouds in the horizon, death watch. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Siren |
| English words defined with "Siren": all clear, Amphipneust ♦ Lorelei ♦ Mud eel ♦ Sirene, Sirenical, Sirenize, Syren ♦ Trachystomata. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "Siren": Absinthe ♦ FREIGHT-CAR CLEANER, DELTA SYSTEM ♦ sound warbler. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "Siren": Siredon. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Siren" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Swedish (manatee, siren), Turkish (hoot, hooter, siren). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | You know, siren, police (Rain Man; writing credit: Ronald Bass) I'll have a red helmet and a siren (Transformers: Robots in Disguise; writing credit: Richard Epcar; Marc Handler) | |
Lyrics | Send me your warning siren (New Moon on Monday; performing artist: Duran Duran) Too many siren sounds, it seemed like a thousand police cars (Murder Murder (Remix) *; performing artist: Eminem) Siren she wailed (The Scorpion Lament; performing artist: The Roches) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Siren of Bagdad (1953) Simple Siren (1945) Jungle Siren (1942) The Siren (1927) A Tokyo Siren (1920) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books | |||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
| ||
High Tech |
| ||
Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Closeup view of the ship's bridge area, taken near the end of an overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 9 July 1941. Details seen include: main and secondary battery gun directors atop the battle lookout platform; newly-installed sky lookout position and 1.1" quadruple machine gun mounting; and siren on funnel front. Also note demarkation of dark and light grey paint of the ship's Measure 1 camouflage. Credit: NAVY. |  | Photographed 18 June 1898, while fitting out for Spanish-American War service. Her hull has been half repainted into wartime grey. This yacht was commissioned on 24 June 1898 as USS Siren (1898-1910). Credit: NAVY. |
 | Buying stamps in post office. Siren, Wisconsin. Credit: Library of Congress. | ||
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |
| "Siren" by Ruben Abascal Commentary: "A Siren playing music in the sunset." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| Play | Caption | Play | Caption |
 | Police siren and fire truck horn. | | European police siren. |
| European police siren. | ||
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Horace | You must avoid sloth, that wicked siren. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | And now in the great distance a siren screamed up the scale and dropped, and it screamed again, nearer this time |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Business | Hungary is a market leader in siren production and monitoring equipment. (references) | |
They have no security equipment or use only basic mechanical protection (i.e. steel bars, padlocks or an empty siren boxes). (references) | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Siren" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.20% of the time. "Siren" is used about 251 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 99.2% | 249 | 18,850 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.8% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 251 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "Siren" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Siren | Last name | 170 | 45,402 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
1. Siren, WI (village, FIPS 74175) |
Expressions using "Siren": fire siren ♦ genus Siren ♦ siren lacertina ♦ siren suit ♦ sound the siren. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "Siren": siren-call, siren-like, siren-screaming, siren-song, siren-suited, siren-victim-criminal. | |
Ending with "Siren": fire-siren, sex-siren. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
siren | 1,054 | rhine siren | 23 |
asian siren | 108 | mythology siren | 21 |
siren wisconsin | 95 | light siren | 21 |
police siren | 82 | keen sexy siren | 21 |
air raid siren | 81 | siren wav | 20 |
siren sound | 74 | fire siren truck | 20 |
siren soapy | 73 | warning siren | 18 |
clothing siren | 65 | secret siren | 18 |
siren tornado | 49 | siren whelen | 18 |
siren song | 39 | greek mythology siren | 17 |
festival music siren | 34 | outdoor warning siren | 16 |
festival siren | 34 | picture siren | 15 |
clothing siren store | 31 | space siren | 14 |
fire siren | 29 | end receiving siren | 14 |
siren movie | 28 | fest siren | 14 |
siren uvfr | 28 | siren store | 14 |
sacramento siren | 25 | mermaid siren | 13 |
alarm siren | 24 | siren used | 13 |
federal siren | 24 | siren of titan | 13 |
emergency siren | 23 | aluminum sailor siren | 13 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "Siren"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | sirenë (buzzer, hooter, mermaid, syren). (various references) | |
Arabic | سمندر حيوان, صفارة إنذار, إمرأة فاتنة (charmer, mermaid, slinky), إمرأة مغوية. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | сирена (buzzer, hooter, horn, syren), сигнална свирка (horn, syren), като на сирена, жена с прекрасен глас, прелъстителка (seductress, syren), примамлив (alluring, attractive, tempting). (various references) | |
Chinese | 警笛 , 警报器 (hooter), 警報器 . (various references) | |
Czech | siréna (hooter), mořská panna (mermaid). (various references) | |
Danish | sirene. (various references) | |
Dutch | sirene. (various references) | |
Farsi | حوری مانند, سوت کارخانه , زن دلفریب , اژیر. (various references) | |
Finnish | sireeni (lilac), seireeni. (various references) | |
French | sirène. (various references) | |
German | Sirene (hooter, sirenian). (various references) | |
Greek | σειρήνα (mermaid). (various references) | |
Hebrew | יפהפיה (beauty, belladonne), אשה מפתה, בתולת הים (mermaid, naiad, nymph), צופר (hooter, horn, klaxon, signal horn), צפירה (hoot, klaxon, toot, tootle, whistle), סירנה. (various references) | |
Hungarian | sziréna (banshee, hooter, steam-siren, syren), szirén (mermaid, mermaiden). (various references) | |
Indonesian | sirine, sirene. (various references) | |
Italian | sirena (hooter, mermaid). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 号笛 (whistle), 傾城 (beauty, courtesan, prostitute), 傾国 (beauty, courtesan, prostitute), サイナス腺 (cineraria, cyber, cybernation, cybernetic organism, cybernetics, cyborg, silage, silence, silencer, silent, Silent Majority, silent stone, simulcast, Sinology, sinus gland, siphon). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ごうてき (whistle), サイレン , けいせい (administration, beauty, condition, conduct of state affairs, courtesan, formation, government, prospects, prostitute, situation, sound of a valley stream, train line Tokyo - Narita, warning), けいこく (administration, advice, beauty, canyon, courtesan, government, prostitute, ravine, short period, valley, warning). (various references) | |
Korean | 사이렌. (various references) | |
Manx | shirreen, shireen, buirrooghane, ben chialgeyr. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | irensay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | sirena, sereia (mermaid, seamaid), sedutor (alluring, betrayer, bewitching, enticing, leading, lovelace, lovely, magnetic, seductive, winning, winsome, witching), relativo à sereia, ninfa (case-worm, daphne, nymph, pupa), mulher tentadora. (various references) | |
Romanian | sirenã (buzzer, hooter, mermaid), semnal de alarmã (alarm signal, detector), vampã (vamp), cântãreaţã (diva, singer, vocalist). (various references) | |
Russian | сирена (buzzer, foghorn, fog-horn, hooter, mermaid). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | sirena (mermaid, syren), signalna sprava, alarm (alarm, alarum). (various references) | |
Spanish | sirena (foghorn, hooter, mermaid, sea-maid). (various references) | |
Swedish | siren (manatee). (various references) | |
Thai | เสียงหวอ. (various references) | |
Turkish | siren (hoot, hooter), semender (eft, newt, salamander), denizkızı (mermaid), deniz kızı (mermaid), baştan çıkarıcı kadın, büyüleyici kadın (dazzler, enchantress). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | сирена (blast, buzzer, hooter, mermaid, sea cow), гудок (beep, buzzer, hoot, hooter, horn, toot). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | còi báo động (syren). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | serenum, sirenae. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "Siren": sirenian, sirenians, sirens. (additional references) | |
| |
"Siren" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: airen, Iren, isre, sarean, sareen, saren, satren, scren, searne, Seigen, seran, sereen, Serein, seren, sereno, Sereny, serin, serne, Seron, serran, Shireen, sicre, sident, sien, sierbein, siern, Sifrin, sigre, silen, Simeen, simen, siran, siree, sirein, sirel, sirex, sirey, sirez, siri, sirien, sirmen, sirn, siron, Sironi, sirop, sirrea, sirree, siwen, sixen, Smirren, soran, soren, sorne, sren, stren, sureen, Surin, Sybron, syen, syre, tiren, tsirion, ziren. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "Siren" (pronounced sī"run) |
| 3 | -r u n | fibrin, apron, aspirin, Baron, barren, brethren, Buran, cauldron, Chevron, children, citron, doctrine, foreign, garron, giron, grandchildren, heron, intron, Marron, matron, octahedron, patron, perron, Philodendron, polyhedron, rhododendron, saffron, schoolchildren, sovereign, sovran, squadron, stepchildren, tetrahedron, Warren. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: reins, resin, rinse, risen, serin. | |
| Words within the letters "e-i-n-r-s" | |
-1 letter: erns, ires, rein, reis, rins, rise, sine, sire. | |
-2 letters: ens, ern, ers, ins, ire, rei, res, rin, sei, sen, ser, sin, sir, sri. | |
-3 letters: en, er, es, in, is, ne, re, si. | |
| Words containing the letters "e-i-n-r-s" | |
+1 letter: arisen, arsine, brines, diners, estrin, inerts, infers, inkers, inners, insert, insure, inters, inures, irones, liners, miners, nereis, niters, nitres, nosier, reigns, reinks, renigs, renins, repins, resign, resins, resiny, rewins, rinsed, rinser, rinses, ripens, rusine, seiner, senior, serein, serine, sering, serins, shiner, shrine, signer, singer, sinker, sinner, sinter, sirens, snider, sniper, triens, trines, urines, ursine. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Sounds 10. Quotations: Familiar 11. Quotations: Fiction 12. Quotations: Non-fiction | 13. Usage Frequency 14. Names: Frequency 15. Cities 16. Expressions | 17. Expressions: Internet 18. Translations: Modern 19. Translations: Ancient 20. Abbreviations | 21. Acronyms 22. Derivations 23. Rhymes 24. Anagrams | 25. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
