English word origin

Etymology of taunt

From Middle French tanter (“to tempt, try, provoke”), variant of Old French tempter (“to try”). Doublet of tempt.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.

noun

A scornful or mocking remark; a jeer or mockery.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle French tanter (“to tempt, try, provoke”), variant of Old French tempter (“to try”). Doublet of tempt.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentiontanterfrm · to tempt, try, provoke
Derivation mentiontempterfro · to try
Doublet mentiontempten

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "tanter",
        "t": "to tempt, try, provoke"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French tanter (“to tempt, try, provoke”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "tempter",
        "t": "to try"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French tempter (“to try”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tempt"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of tempt"
    }
  ],
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      "tanter#Middle_French"
    ],
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      "tempter#Old_French"
    ],
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      "tempt#English"
    ]
  ],
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  "lexical": [
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

adj

Very high or tall.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Compare Old French tant (“so great”), French tant (“so much”), Latin tantus (“of such size, so great, so much”). See ataunt.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentiontantfro
Cognate mentiontantfr
Derivation mentiontantusla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "tant",
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      },
      "expansion": "Old French tant (“so great”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "tant",
        "3": "",
        "4": "so much"
      },
      "expansion": "French tant (“so much”)"
    },
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      "name": "lena",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
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        "4": "",
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      },
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    }
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    ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for taunt →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-dGF1bnQ