the verb 'tantalize' is a direct borrowing from the greek myth of king tantalus, who was punished by the gods for his crimes. his eternal punishment was to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree; whenever he reached for the fruit, the branches receded, and whenever he bent to drink, the water drained away. this myth of perpetual, unfulfilled desire was lexicalized in the late 16th century with the addition of the productive suffix '-ize', which converts a proper noun into a verb meaning 'to subject to a fate like that of tantalus'. the modern abstract meaning has generalized from the specific mythological torment to any situation where something is teasingly shown but withheld.

Structure: tantal (from tantalus) + ize (verb-forming suffix) tantal is derived from the name of the greek mythological figure tantalus. its functional role is to provide the core semantic content of torment by unattainable desire. ize is a verb-forming suffix of greek origin (via latin -izare) that means 'to make, to become, or to act like'.