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Origin and history of tempt

tempt(v.)

c. 1200, tempten, of the devil, flesh, etc., "draw or entice to evil or sin, lure (someone) from God's law; be alluring or seductive," from Old French tempter, tenter (12c.) and directly from Latin temptare "to feel, try out, test; attempt to influence," a variant of tentare "handle, touch, try, test." De Vaan says this is from a PIE *tempto-, from a verbal root meaning "to touch, feel," "for which the root *temp- 'to stretch' seems a good candidate." See temple (n.2).

It is attested from late 14c. in the meaning "provoke, defy" (God, fate, etc.). Related: Tempted; tempting; temptable; temptability.

The Latin alteration is "explainable only as an ancient error due to some confusion" [Century Dictionary], but there is a pattern; compare attentare, a variant of attemptare (as in (Modern French attenter). Also compare Spanish pronto (adv.) from Latin promptus. 

also from c. 1200

Entries linking to tempt

temple(n.2)

[flattened area on either side of the forehead], early 14c., from Old French temple "side of the forehead" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *tempula (plural taken as fem. singular), from Latin tempora, plural of tempus (genitive temporis) "side of the forehead," generally accepted as having originally meant "the thin stretch of skin at the side of the forehead" and being from PIE *temp- "to stretch," an extension of root *ten- "to stretch." The sense development would be from "stretchings" to "stretched skin" [de Vaan].

A similar notion seems to be at work in Old English ðunwange, Old Norse þunn-vangi, Old High German dunwangi "temple," literally "thin cheek." The less-likely guess associates the Latin word with tempus span "timely space" (for a mortal blow with a sword).

tempting(adj.)

"inviting, seductive, that entices or allures," 1540s to evil, 1590s to pleasure, present-participle adjective from tempt (v.). Other adjectives were temptative "inducing or leading to sin" (mid-15c., from Medieval Latin temptativus), temptatious (c. 1600), temptsome (1849). Related: Temptingly.

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taunt
1510s, tant "make a smart reply; answer (someone) with a mocking rejoinder;" 1550s, "reproach in a sarcastic way;" of uncertain origin, possibly [Skeat] from French tanter, tenter "to tempt, try, provoke," variant of tempter "to try" (see tempt). Or from French tant pour tant "so
charm
c. 1300, "incantation, magic charm," from Old French charme (12c.) "magic charm, magic spell incantation; song, lamentation," from Latin carmen "song, verse, enchantment, religious formula," from canere "to sing" (from PIE root *kan- "to sing"), with dissimilation of -n- to -r- b
influence
late 14c., an astrological term, "streaming ethereal power from the stars when in certain positions, acting upon character or destiny of men," from Old French influence "emanation from the stars that acts upon one's character and destiny" (13c.), also "a flow of water, a flowing
scandalize
, from Old French scandaliser (12c.), from Church Latin scandalizare, from late Greek skandalizein "to make to stumble; tempt...
stir
Middle English stiren, from Old English styrian, stirian "to move, be or become active or busy, pass into motion," also transitive, "to agitate with a rotating motion (a liquid or mixture by hand or with an instrument), move, change the location of; rouse, agitate, incite, urge;"
snare
"noose for catching animals," late Old English snearu, and also from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse snara "noose, snare," related to soenri "twisted rope," from Proto-Germanic *snarkho (source also of Middle Dutch snare, Dutch snaar, Old High German snare, German Schnur
attract
early 15c., attracten, "draw (objects or persons) to oneself," also a medical term for the body's tendency to absorb fluids, nourishment, etc., or for a poultice treatment to "draw out" diseased matter; from Latin attractus, past participle of attrahere "to draw, pull; to attract
lure
early 14c., "something which allures or entices, an attraction" (a figurative use), originally the name of a device for recalling a hawk, from Anglo-French lure, Old French loirre "device used to recall hawks, lure," from Frankish *lothr or some other Germanic source, from Proto-
rule
c. 1200, "principle or maxim governing conduct, formula to which conduct must be conformed" from Old French riule, Norman reule "rule, custom, (religious) order" (in Modern French partially re-Latinized as règle), from Vulgar Latin *regula, from Latin regula "straight stick, bar,
appeal
early 14c., appelen, originally in the legal sense, to "call" to a higher judge or court, from Anglo-French apeler "to call upon, accuse," Old French apeler "make an appeal" (11c., Modern French appeler), from Latin appellare "to accost, address, appeal to, summon, name," iterati

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