taunt

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A scornful or mocking remark; a jeer or mockery.

   VVith ſcoffes and ſcornes, and contumelious taunts, / In open Market-place produc't they me, / To be a publique ſpectacle to all: / Here, ſayd they, is the Terror of the French, / The Scar-Crovv that affrights our Children ſo.

2. 2
   adj

   Very high or tall.

   the great ships, for want of ſufficient masts, will lose the advantages the taunt masts would procure

3. 3
   noun

   aggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing

4. 4
   verb

   harass with persistent criticism or carping

5. 5
   verb

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

6. 6
   name

   A surname.

Etymology

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