Where does “tease” come from?

Tease comes from Middle English tesen, from Old English tǣsan, from Proto-West Germanic taisijan, of uncertain ultimate origin.

tease (English): To separate the fibres of a fibrous material; To...

Definitions

  1. To separate the fibres of a fibrous material; To...

Ancestry of “tease”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishtesenTo card straighten the fibres of wool
2Old Englishtǣsanto tease
3Proto-West Germanictaisijanto separate; to tug, to pluck; to shred

Words derived from “tease”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic taisijan →