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tantalize

tan·ta·lize

UK/ˈtæntəlaɪz/ US/ˈtænʌˌlaɪz/ uncommon obsolete

verb

1.

harass with persistent criticism or carping

  • “The children teased the new teacher”
  • “Don”
  • “;”
Synonyms

Origin

From Tantalus (Ancient Greek Τάνταλος (Tántalos)) in Greek mythology, who was condemned to Tartarus in the underworld. There, he had to stand for eternity in water that receded from him when he stooped to drink, beneath fruit trees whose branches were always out of reach. Derived as Tantalus + -ize.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.