tempto

Meaning

1. (conjugation-1) to test the strength; to make an attack upon
2. (conjugation-1) to test
3. (conjugation-1) to try, attempt
4. (conjugation-1) to urge, incite, rouse
5. (conjugation-1) to handle, touch

Pronounced as (IPA)

[ˈtɛmp.toː]

Etymology

Probably from the iterative or frequentative suffix -tō attached to a base derived somehow from *ten- (“to stretch”). There is disagreement about the details: Lewis and Short derive it from tendō (“stretch, stretch out, extend”) (supine tentum) without explaining the origin of the version spelled with -mpt-, whereas De Vaan derives it from the hypothetical supine *temptum of an unattested verb meaning 'to touch, feel' built on *temp-, which can be interpreted as an extended form of *ten- (compare tempus, templum).