Pied piper

/paɪd ˈpaɪ.pə/ name, noun

name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    That which draws many in its wake.
  2. 2
    a leader who entices people to follow (especially to their doom) wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A folk tale or legend, dating back to the Middle Ages, about a ratcatcher in variegated attire, hired by the German town of Hamelin, who is not paid for his services and retaliates by luring away the local children by playing a flute.
  2. 2
    The flute-playing ratcatcher who is the protagonist and title character of this story.

Synonyms

All synonyms
hamelin

Etymology

Etymology 1

Short for Pied Piper of Hamelin, from pied and piper.

Etymology 2

From the folk tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, who led away the townsfolk's children in revenge for not being paid after ridding the town of rats.

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