English Reference
noun

allure

n.
US /əˈɫʊɹ/ UK /ɐlˈɔː/ al·lure UK spelling allured, allures

  1. 01 C2 Proficiency TechnicalArchaic

    a path or walkway built along the top of a castle wall.

    a walkway or wall-walk located along the top of a fortification, typically protected by a parapet.

    Simple

    The guards patrolled the allure of the castle throughout the night.

    In context

    Restoration experts worked to preserve the medieval allure, ensuring the stone walkway remained safe for modern tourists to traverse.

Zhang knows the allure of rare books, occasionally pausing her work to read parts of the titles she scans.

Ars Technica· 12 Aug 2026

Honeypots use their sexual allure to gather information, recruit assets, and set up blackmail stings.

JSTOR Daily· 10 Aug 2026

Etymology 1

From Middle English aluren, from Old French aleurer, alurer, from a (“to, towards”) (Latin ad) + leurre (“lure”). Compare lure.

Etymology 2

From Middle English alure, alour, from Old French alure, aleure (“walk, gait”), from aler (“to go”) + -ure.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Old French alurer
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated