tantalize English · revision 134
5 Oct 2026, 22:03 by bogdan “Add pronunciation, sense history, timeline, meanings, word family, related words” current version
Changes in this edit
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ˈtæntəlaɪz/^(Wiktionary)
+
==Etymology==
− First recorded in 1597,^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989) [[af|en|Tantalus|-ize]],^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) after the mythical king Tantalus ([[der|la|Tantalus]], [[der|grc|Τάνταλος|tr=Tántalos]]),^(Etymonline)^(Wiktionary) who was punished in the underworld by standing in water that receded whenever he stooped to drink, beneath fruit that withdrew from his reach.^(Etymonline)^(Wiktionary)
+ First recorded in 1597,^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989) [[af|en|Tantalus|-ize]],^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) after the mythical king Tantalus ([[der|la|Tantalus]], [[der|grc|Τάνταλος|tr=Tántalos]]),^(Etymonline)^(Wiktionary) who was punished in the underworld by standing in water that receded whenever he stooped to drink, beneath fruit that withdrew from his reach.^(Etymonline)^(Wiktionary) His story was known to Chaucer (c. 1369).^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ “To torment by the sight or promise of something desired that is kept out of reach”, as Tantalus was tormented.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 1369 – the story of Tantalus known to Chaucer.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1597 – ''tantalize'' first recorded.^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)
+ * 1640 – intransitive, “to suffer like Tantalus”.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1807 – figuratively, “to tease or torture into an artificial form”.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Verb===
+ # To tease or torment someone by showing them something desirable while keeping it out of reach.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[tantalization]]
+ * [[tantalizer]]
+ * [[tantalizingly]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[tantalizing]]
==References==