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teasing

 - 5 dictionary results

tease

  [teez] verb, teased, teas⋅ing, noun
Use teasing in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to irritate or provoke with persistent petty distractions, trifling raillery, or other annoyance, often in sport.
2. to pull apart or separate the adhering fibers of (wool or the like), as in combing or carding; comb or card, as wool; shred.
3. to ruffle (the hair) by holding it at the ends and combing toward the scalp so as to give body to a hairdo.
4. to raise a nap on (cloth) with teasels; teasel.
5. Also, teaser. Television Slang. a short scene or highlight shown at the beginning of a film or television show to attract the audience's attention.
–verb (used without object)
6. to provoke or disturb a person or animal by importunity or persistent petty annoyances.
–noun
7. a person who teases or annoys.
8. the act of teasing or the state of being teased.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME tesen (v.), OE tǣsan to pull, tear, comb; c. MLG tesen, OHG zeisan to pluck

Related forms:
teas⋅a⋅ble, adjective
teas⋅a⋅ble⋅ness, noun
teas⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. trouble, disturb, vex; harass. See bother.

Antonyms:
1. mollify.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To teasing
tease   (tēz)   
v.   teased, teas·ing, teas·es

v.   tr.

  1. To annoy or pester; vex.

  2. To make fun of; mock playfully.

  3. To arouse hope, desire, or curiosity in without affording satisfaction.

    1. To urge persistently; coax: teasing their mother for more candy.

    2. To gain by persistent coaxing: "the New York editor who could tease great books from the unpromising woolly jumble of an author's first draft" (Ian Jack).

    3. To deal with or have an effect on as if by teasing.

  5. To cut (tissue, for example) into pieces for examination.

  6. To disentangle and dress the fibers of (wool, for example).

  7. To raise the nap of (cloth) by dressing, as with a fuller's teasel.

  8. To ruffle (the hair) by combing from the ends toward the scalp for an airy, full effect.

v.   intr.
To annoy or make fun of someone persistently.
n.  

    1. The act of teasing.

    2. The state of being teased.

    3. One given to playful mocking.

    4. A woman who behaves like a coquette.

    5. A preliminary remark or act intended to whet the curiosity.

  2. One that teases, as:

    1. One given to playful mocking.

    2. A woman who behaves like a coquette.

    3. A preliminary remark or act intended to whet the curiosity.

Phrasal Verb(s):
tease outTo get by or as if by untangling or releasing with a pointed tool or device: "It takes a carefully trained expert to tease out the truth" (Arthur Green).

[Middle English tesen, to comb apart, from Old English tǣsan.]
teas'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tease 
O.E. tæsan "pluck, pull apart" (fibers of wool, flax, etc.), from W.Gmc. *taisijanan (cf. Dan. tæse, M.Du. tesen, Du. tezen "to draw, pull, scratch," O.H.G. zeisan "to tease, pick wool"). The original sense is of running thorns through wool or flax to separate, shred, or card the fibers. The figurative sense of "vex, worry, annoy" emerged 1619. For similar sense development, see heckle. Hairdressing sense is recorded from 1957. Noun meaning "one who teases" is first recorded 1852; specifically as short for cock-teaser it was in use by 1976. Teaser "short sample, introductory advertisement" is attested from 1934.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tease
Pronunciation: 'tEz
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: teased; teas·ing
: to tear in pieces;especially : to shred (a tissue or specimen) for microscopic examination
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

tease (tēz)
v. teased, teas·ing, teas·es
To separate the structural parts of a tissue, as with a needle, in order to prepare it for microscopic examination.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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