Lorelei

[ lawr-uh-lahy; German loh-ruh-lahy ]

noun

1. a quasilegendary nymph of the Rhine who lured sailors to shipwreck on her rock by singing: a creation of Clemens Brentano in a poem of 1800.
2. a female given name.

Lorelei

/ ˈlɒrəˌlaɪ /

noun

1. (in German legend) a siren, said to dwell on a rock at the edge of the Rhine south of Koblenz, who lures boatmen to destruction

Word History and Origins

Origin of Lorelei¹

< German, variant of Lurlei, cliff overlooking the Rhine, thought to be the abode of a nymph

Word History and Origins

Origin of Lorelei¹

C19: from German Lurlei name of the rock; from a poem by Clemens Brentano (1778–1842)

Example Sentences

Part-time archivist Lorelei Galbreath keeps a stack of folders as tall as a newborn on her desk.

From The Daily Beast

He sang German folk-lore songs for them, and the "Lorelei," then comparatively unknown in America.

From Project Gutenberg

The Lorelei swam the water like a wonderful white aquatic bird, leaving upon the quiet sea a long snowy track of foam.

From Project Gutenberg

They are caught as in the eddy of the Lorelei, and are so hopelessly entangled that they never emerge again.

From Project Gutenberg

He wrote for Mendelssohn the text of a 'Lorelei,' but the composer died before the music was completed.

From Project Gutenberg

The Lorelei was 186 in, and Mrs. Pollock desired to speak with her husband.

From Project Gutenberg