'tantalize' originates from Greek mythology, specifically the story of 'Tantalus,' where 'Tantalus' was punished by being made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches, with the fruit ever eluding his grasp.

'Tantalus' transformed into the English word 'tantalize,' and eventually became the modern English word 'tantalizing.'

Initially, it meant 'to torment or tease with the sight or promise of something unobtainable,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.