Cavort vs Tease - What's the difference?
cavort | tease |
(originally) To prance, said of mounts
* 1920 , , The Understanding Heart , Chapter I:
To move about carelessly, playfully or boisterously.
* 1900 , ”:
* 1911 , :
To separate the fibres of a fibrous material.
To comb (originally with teasels) so that the fibres all lie in one direction.
To back-comb.
To poke fun at.
To provoke or disturb; to annoy.
* (1800-1859)
*:Hesuffered them to tease him into acts directly opposed to his strongest inclinations.
*1684 , , (Hudibras)
*:Not by the force of carnal reason, / But indefatigable teasing .
*
*:"My tastes," he said, still smiling, "incline me to the garishly sunlit side of this planet." And, to tease her and arouse her to combat: "I prefer a farandole to a nocturne; I'd rather have a painting than an etching; Mr. Whistler bores me with his monochromatic mud; I don't like dull colours, dull sounds, dull intellects;."
To entice, to tempt.
As verbs the difference between cavort and tease
is that cavort is to prance, said of mounts while tease is to separate the fibres of a fibrous material.As a noun tease is
one who teases.cavort
English
Verb
- And dragon-flies sported around and cavorted , / As poets say dragon-flies ought to do;
- He whirligigged and pirouetted, dancing and cavorting round like an inebriated ape.
Synonyms
* (move about boisterously) romp, frolic, prance, caperSee also
* horse aroundReferences
* * “The Way We Live Now: 7-14-02: On Language; Cavort”, William Safire criticizes White House rhetorics who apparently use the word to mean consort, and discusses its possible origins.