razz
UK[ræz]US[ræz]
v
To tease or ridicule someone in a light-hearted or mocking way.
n
A sound expressing contempt or derision; a raspberry.
Etymology
The word 'razz' is a 20th-century American English slang term, emerging as a clipped and altered form of 'raspberry,' specifically in its colloquial sense for a derisive sound made by blowing through protruded lips. This sound, known informally as a 'raspberry' or 'Bronx cheer,' was humorously named through rhyming slang ('raspberry tart' for 'fart'), linking the rude noise to the fruit. 'Razz' thus inherits this association with mockery and contempt, evolving from an onomatopoeic representation of a sound into a verb meaning to tease or ridicule someone lightly. Its journey exemplifies how slang creatively condenses and repurposes existing words to form new, expressive vocabulary.
Analysis
The word is a simplex, likely formed by onomatopoeia and clipping from the earlier term "raspberry" (in its sense of a derisive sound).
Examples
The older kids would always razz him about his new haircut.
He responded to the unfair call with a loud razz from the stands.
Don't take it seriously; they're just razzing you because they like you.