From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Tease \Tease\ (t[=e]z), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Teased} (t[=e]zd);
p. pr. & vb. n. {Teasing}.] [AS. t?san to pluck, tease; akin
to OD. teesen, MHG. zeisen, Dan. t[ae]se, t[ae]sse. [root]58.
Cf. {Touse}.]
1. To comb or card, as wool or flax. "Teasing matted wool."
--Wordsworth.
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2. To stratch, as cloth, for the purpose of raising a nap;
teasel.
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3. (Anat.) To tear or separate into minute shreds, as with
needles or similar instruments.
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4. To vex with importunity or impertinence; to harass, annoy,
disturb, or irritate by petty requests, or by jests and
raillery; to plague. --Cowper.
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He . . . suffered them to tease him into acts
directly opposed to his strongest inclinations.
--Macaulay.
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Syn: To vex; harass: annoy; disturb; irritate; plague;
torment; mortify; tantalize; chagrin.
Usage: {Tease}, {Vex}. To tease is literally to pull or
scratch, and implies a prolonged annoyance in respect
to little things, which is often more irritating, and
harder to bear, than severe pain. Vex meant originally
to seize and bear away hither and thither, and hence,
to disturb; as, to vex the ocean with storms. This
sense of the term now rarely occurs; but vex is still
a stronger word than tease, denoting the disturbance
or anger created by minor provocations, losses,
disappointments, etc. We are teased by the buzzing of
a fly in our eyes; we are vexed by the carelessness or
stupidity of our servants.
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Not by the force of carnal reason,
But indefatigable teasing. --Hudibras.
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In disappointments, where the affections have
been strongly placed, and the expectations
sanguine, particularly where the agency of
others is concerned, sorrow may degenerate into
vexation and chagrin. --Cogan.
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{Tease tenon} (Joinery), a long tenon at the top of a post to
receive two beams crossing each other one above the other.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
teasing
adj 1: playfully vexing (especially by ridicule); "his face wore
a somewhat quizzical almost impertinent air"- Lawrence
Durrell [syn: {mocking}, {teasing}, {quizzical}]
2: arousing sexual desire without intending to satisfy it; "her
lazy teasing smile"
3: causing irritation or annoyance; "tapping an annoying rhythm
on his glass with his fork"; "aircraft noise is particularly
bothersome near the airport"; "found it galling to have to
ask permission"; "an irritating delay"; "nettlesome
paperwork"; "a pesky mosquito"; "swarms of pestering gnats";
"a plaguey newfangled safety catch"; "a teasing and
persistent thought annoyed him"; "a vexatious child"; "it is
vexing to have to admit you are wrong" [syn: {annoying},
{bothersome}, {galling}, {irritating}, {nettlesome}, {pesky},
{pestering}, {pestiferous}, {plaguy}, {plaguey}, {teasing},
{vexatious}, {vexing}]
n 1: the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously
(especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent
annoyances; "he ignored their teases"; "his ribbing was
gentle but persistent" [syn: {tease}, {teasing}, {ribbing},
{tantalization}]
2: playful vexation; "the parody was just a form of teasing"
3: the act of removing tangles from you hair with a comb [syn:
{comb-out}, {teasing}]
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