noun
temptation
A strong desire to do or have something, especially something unwise or forbidden.
Where it comes from
Temptation ordinarily means a strong desire to do or have something, especially something unwise or forbidden. English temptation came through Old French from Latin temptatio, based on temptare: to handle, try, test, or make an attempt. The older family of meanings concerned putting someone or something to a trial. A trial can expose weakness.
How the meaning developed
In religious use, a test of fidelity became an enticement toward forbidden conduct; from there temptation came to mean both the desire to do something one judges wrong and the enticing thing itself.
Sources
Definitions adapted from Open English WordNet where applicable. License and attribution. Word-history text comes from Lexifour’s sourced social research; pages are assembled automatically, not individually fact-checked on every update.
Updated 2026-10-05. Report a correction.