/tɛmpˈteɪʃən/
From the Old French temptacion, from Latin temptatio ("a trial, test"), from the verb temptare ("to feel, test, try").
In Scripture, temptation has a dual meaning. It can refer to a trial or test of one's faith, permitted by God to strengthen and purify the believer (Genesis 22:1, James 1:2-3). More commonly, it refers to an enticement to sin, originating from one's own evil desires, the world's influence, or the devil. God tests, but He does not tempt to evil (James 1:13). Christ himself was tempted, yet without sin, qualifying Him to be our sympathetic High Priest (Hebrews 4:15).
TEMPTA'TION, n. The act of tempting; enticement to evil by arguments, by circumstances, by the promises of pleasure or gain, or by any other means. 2. The state of being tempted or enticed to evil. 3. That which is presented to the mind as an inducement to evil. 4. Trial; as, lead us not into temptation.
The term is often trivialized to refer to any desire for something pleasant but perhaps inadvisable, such as a "tempting" dessert or a sale at a store. This strips the word of its serious moral and spiritual context, which involves an allurement toward disobedience against God with significant consequences.