Etymograph

English

tempter

Tempter comes from Old French tempter ‘to tempt’, and goes back to Latin temptō ‘to test the strength’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtemptō1‘to test the strength’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400tempter2‘to tempt’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tempter2
  4. Englishtodaytempter2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old French tempter
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English tempter

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtemptōWiktionary, Old French tempter‘to test the strength’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400tempterWiktionary, English tempter‘to tempt’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tempterWiktionary, English tempter
  4. EnglishtodaytempterWiktionary, English tempter

Linked words

through Latin temptō ‘to test the strength’

attempt, tent, 2 more

through Old French tempter ‘to tempt’

taunt, 1 more

Today it means

noun Someone or something that tempts, especially a man that tempts.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “tempter”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old French tempter. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin temptō / tempter

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