tæsan

Forms

tǣsan (weak class 1; third-person singular present tǣseþ, past singular tǣsde, past plural tǣsdon)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *taisijan, from Proto-Germanic *taisijaną (“to separate by plucking”), a derivative of Proto-Germanic *taisaną (“to tug, pull”).^[1][2] The strong verb survives in Old High German zeisan (“to pluck, tease wool”).^[3][4][5] Holthausen lists the related Middle Low German tēsen, Swedish tesa and West Frisian tiezje (“to tangle”);^[6][7] Etymonline adds Danish tæse and Dutch tezen.^[6][7]

Orel compares Ancient Greek δαίομαι (daíomai, “to divide”), and Wiktionary and Köbler derive the Germanic verb from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- (“to divide, cut apart”) (Pokorny 175).^[3][1][2] Holthausen and Bosworth–Toller note that Middle English tōsen, English tose, points to a variant without umlaut, *tāsian.^[6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The verb first appears, as the past participle getæsed, in the Pastoral Care (Hatton 20, written 890×897): a proud mind that finds itself rebuked by a reasoned answer bið getæsed on ðæt ingeðonc “is wounded in its inner thought”.^[8][9]

Semantic evolution

The concrete sense is tearing apart: Ælfric's Grammar renders Latin “carpo” with ic totere oððe pluccige oððe tæse, one manuscript adding wulle, wool, and a recipe says Nim wulle, and tæs hy “take wool and tease it”.^[5] In The Battle of Maldon a warrior hwilon beorn tæsde “at times wounded a man” with his arrows.^[5][9] Köbler and Nerthus give the further senses "to injure, assault".^[2][10]

As Middle English tesen the verb kept the craft sense of combing wool or flax, and was also used of shredding meat and of driving a hunted animal.^[11] Etymonline traces the English verb tease to it; the first action was running thorns through wool or flax to separate the fibres.^[7]

Timeline

• 890×897 – the past participle getæsed “wounded” of a mind in the Pastoral Care.^[8][9]
• ?a1200 – Middle English tesen, of combing wool and shredding.^[11]

Meanings

Verb

1. to tease wool, pull apart, card.^[5][2]
2. to tear apart; to wound with a weapon.^[5][1]
3. to injure, assault.^[2][10]

Word family

• ātǣsan
• ġetǣsan
• tǣsel

Descendants

• Middle English tesen (→ English tease; Scots tease; Scots taise)^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. tǣsan
3. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 400
4. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
5. ^ a b c d e f Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. 970
6. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 342
7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 499
9. ^ a b c Healey, Antonette diPaolo; Price Wilkin, John; Xiang, Xin, eds. (2009), Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus, Toronto: Dictionary of Old English Project
10. ^ a b Nerthus: An Online Lexical Database of Old English, Universidad de La Rioja, nerthusproject.com (derivational paradigms, via the Nerthus Project's open data)
11. ^ a b Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)