Etymology

lorelei

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Today it means: A siren; a temptress. Full definition →

German Lorelei
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lorelei · noun1

From the Lorelei rock on the Rhine, which was haunted by one of these creatures according to German legend.

Lorelei · proper noun2

  1. German · borrowed fromLorelei“murmuring rock or lurking rock”
  2. English todayLorelei

Borrowed from German Lorelei (“murmuring rock or lurking rock”), but not used as a given name in Germany. The Lorelei (or Lorelei, Loreleï, Lore Lay, Lore-Ley, Lurley, Lurelei, Lurlei) is an infamous maritime disaster site because of the Rhine's current and the surrounding terrain. The shipwrecks have been subject to mythological explanation attempts since around 900 AD.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.