- seduce
- 1526, "to persuade a vassal, etc., to desert his allegiance or service," from L. seducere "lead away, lead astray," from se- "aside, away" + ducere "to lead." Replaced M.E. seduisen (1477), from M.Fr. séduire "seduce," from O.Fr. suduire "to corrupt, seduce," from L. subducere "draw away, withdraw, remove," from sub- "from under, further" + ducere "to lead" (see duke). Sexual sense, now the prevailing one, is attested from 1560. Seductive is from 1771; seductress is from 1803.
- subdue
- late 14c., "to conquer," from O.Fr. souduire "deceive, seduce," from L. subducere "draw, lead away, withdraw" (see subduce). The sense seems to have been taken over in Anglo-Fr. from L. subdere. Subduct in the sense of "subtract" is from 1570s.
- inveigle
- late 15c., "to blind (someone's) judgment," from M.Fr. aveugler "delude, make blind," from V.L. *aboculus "without sight, blind," from L. ab- "without" + oculus "eye" (see eye). Loan-translation of Gk. ap ommaton "without eyes." Meaning "to win over by deceit, seduce" is 1530s.
- toll (v.)
- "to sound with single strokes," 1452, probably a special use of tollen "to draw, lure," c.1220 variant of O.E. -tyllan in betyllan "to lure, decoy," and fortyllan "draw away, seduce," of obscure origin. The notion is perhaps of "luring" people to church with the sound of the bells, or of "drawing" on the bell rope.
- calumny
- mid-15c., from M.Fr. calomnie (15c.), from L. calumnia "trickery, subterfuge, misrepresentation, malicious charge," from calvi "to trick, deceive," from PIE base *kel-, *kol- "to deceive, confuse" (cf. Gk. kelein "to bewitch, seduce, beguile," Goth. holon "to deceive," O.N. hol "praise, flattery," O.E. hol "slander," holian "to slander").