tease

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity)
noun a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men
noun the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances

From Middle English tesen, from Old English tǣsan (“to tease”), from Proto-West Germanic *taisijan (“to separate, tug, shred”).

John, don’t tease them any more. — The Wouldbegoods: Being the Further Adventures of the Treasure Seekers, E. (Edith) Nesbit
How dare those children tease him! — The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, Lofting, Hugh
They tease him; the bubble bursts! — Andersen's Fairy Tales, H. C. (Hans Christian) Andersen

teaser, annoyer, vexer

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