Where does “teasing” come from?

Teasing comes from Middle English tesen, Old English tǣsan, and Proto-West Germanic taisijan, ultimately derived from a root meaning to pull or pluck apart.

teasing (English): present participle of tease; The act of teasing;...

Definitions

  1. present participle of tease; The act of teasing;...

Ancestry of “teasing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishteaseTo separate the fibres of a fibrous material; To...
2Middle EnglishtesenTo card straighten the fibres of wool
3Old Englishtǣsanto tease
4Proto-West Germanictaisijanto separate; to tug, to pluck; to shred

Words derived from “teasing”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic taisijan →Every word from Old English tǣsan →Every word from Middle English tesen →