tantalize

Meaning

Verb

• to tease (someone) by offering something desirable but keeping it out of reach
• to bait (someone) by showing something desirable but leaving them unsatisfied

Origin

• From Tantalus (Ancient Greek Τάνταλος) in Greek mythology, who was condemned to Tartarus in the underworld. There, he had to stand for eternity in water that receded from him when he stooped to drink, beneath fruit trees whose branches were always out of reach.