Playfully making fun of someone or deliberately provoking them in a lighthearted way. Can also mean to comb or card fibers to prepare them for spinning.
Originally from Old English tǣsan meaning 'to pluck, pull apart, or comb wool.' The sense of 'to annoy playfully' developed in the 17th century from the idea of pulling and picking at something persistently.
The textile meaning came first - teasing wool involved pulling fibers apart to make them fluffy and workable. This physical action of persistent pulling became a metaphor for persistent verbal provocation, showing how many psychological terms evolved from physical processes.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.