The word 'tempt' entered English in the 13th century from the Old French 'tempter', meaning to test or to try. This Old French term originated from the Latin verb 'temptare', a variant of 'tentare', which meant to handle, test, or try. The Latin root is thought to be connected to the Proto-Indo-European root ten-, meaning "to stretch," which also gives us words like 'tendon' and 'tension'. The semantic journey from the physical act of "handling" or "testing" the strength of something to the abstract sense of "testing" someone's moral resolve by offering an enticement is a clear and logical evolution. Thus, the core idea of putting something to a trial underlies the modern meaning of attempting to persuade someone toward a potentially unwise action.

The modern English word 'tempt' is a simplex form derived as a whole from Latin. It does not contain separable, meaningful sub-parts within its current English spelling.