Tantalize
/ˈtæn.təl.aɪz/noun
To tease or torment someone by offering something desirable and then withholding it.
Did you know?The word comes from Tantalus, the Greek figure eternally punished in the underworld by standing in water and under fruit he could never drink or eat—so the verb literally encodes mythic torment.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Τάνταλος (Tántalos)
“Tantalus, the mythic king punished in the underworld with unattainable food and water”
Late Latin
Latin
tantalizare
“To torment or tease by presenting something desired but unreachable”
Middle French
French
tantaliser
“To tease, torment, or provoke desire”
16th-17th Century
English
tantalize
“To torment by offering something desired and then withholding it”
Modern English
English
tantalize
“To tease or torment with the promise of something unreachable”