tempt

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
tempt/tempt/

▶verb

• 1 entice (someone) to do something against their better judgement.

• 2 persuade (someone) to do something; attract.

• 3 archaic risk provoking (a deity or abstract force).

– phrases
tempt fate (or providence) do something risky or dangerous.

– derivatives
temptability noun,
temptable adjective,
tempting adjective,
temptingly adverb.

– origin ME: from OFr. tempter ‘to test’, from L. temptare ‘handle, test, try’.