From Middle French tanter (“to tempt, try, provoke”), variant of Old French tempter (“to try”). Doublet of tempt.
Meanings
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. 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene vi], page 100, column 1:
The attacks and the failure to catch the killer created an atmosphere of fear and dismay throughout Yorkshire, and provoked grim taunts to the police at Leeds United football matches such as “Ripper 10, Police nil” 2020 November 13, Duncan Campbell, “Peter Sutcliffe obituary”, in The Guardian:
pt zombaria (a scornful or mocking remark) · is smán (a scornful or mocking remark) · hu beszólás (a scornful or mocking remark) · no nid (a scornful or mocking remark) · mi taunu (a scornful or mocking remark) · bg присмех (a scornful or mocking remark) · ota لطیفه (a scornful or mocking remark) · km ការចំអក (a scornful or mocking remark) · es mofa (a scornful or mocking remark) · gl ludibrio (a scornful or mocking remark) · ko 모욕 (a scornful or mocking remark) · no hån (a scornful or mocking remark) · mk по́тсмев (a scornful or mocking remark) · is hæðni (a scornful or mocking remark) · hu gúnyolódás (a scornful or mocking remark) · it scherno (a scornful or mocking remark) · es pulla (a scornful or mocking remark) · nl schimpscheut (a scornful or mocking remark) · fr sarcasme (a scornful or mocking remark) · de Stichelei (a scornful or mocking remark) · el λοιδορία (a scornful or mocking remark) · ja 嘲笑 (a scornful or mocking remark) · no forhånelse (a scornful or mocking remark) · es cachita (a scornful or mocking remark) · ga tarcaisne (a scornful or mocking remark) · is brigsl (a scornful or mocking remark) · de Spott (a scornful or mocking remark) · mi kaioraora (a scornful or mocking remark) · es cacha (a scornful or mocking remark) · ro batjocură (a scornful or mocking remark) · sv glåpord (a scornful or mocking remark) · pl drwina (a scornful or mocking remark) · el χλευασμός (a scornful or mocking remark) · de höhnische Bemerkung (a scornful or mocking remark) · sv gliring (a scornful or mocking remark) · ru ко́лкость (a scornful or mocking remark) · bg подигравка (a scornful or mocking remark) · gl escarnio (a scornful or mocking remark) · el σαρκασμός (a scornful or mocking remark) · vi lời chế giễu (a scornful or mocking remark) · gl mofa (a scornful or mocking remark) · ro zeflemea (a scornful or mocking remark) · it dileggio (a scornful or mocking remark) · tr alay (a scornful or mocking remark) · fi pilkka (a scornful or mocking remark) · az kinayə (a scornful or mocking remark) · cmn 奚落 (a scornful or mocking remark) · ga oirbhire (a scornful or mocking remark) · ko 조롱 (a scornful or mocking remark) · de spöttische Bemerkung (a scornful or mocking remark) · el κοροϊδία (a scornful or mocking remark)
de hänseln (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · is hæða (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · eo defii (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · ar سَخِرَ (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · th ยุ (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · ru насмеха́ться над (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · it dileggiare (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · ko 조롱하다 (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · de verspotten (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · no håne (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · bg надсмивам се (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · es sacar cachita (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · ja 楯突く (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · is brigsla (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · it schernire (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · th ยั่วยุ (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · es pullar (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · tr alay etmek (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · mi whakatarariki (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · vi chế giễu (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · nl hekelen (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · hu kigúnyol (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · grc κερτομέω (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · tr iğnelemek (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · mi taunu (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · es mofarse de (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · sv pika (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · km ចំអក (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · pt zombar (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · sv häckla (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · pt provocar (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · th ยั่ว (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · el σαρκάζω (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · it irridere (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · mi tāwai (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · ro zeflemisi (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · ca mofar-se de (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · sv smäda (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · de Spott treiben mit (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · ko 모욕하다 (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · ta சீண்டு (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · bg подигравам се (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · is smána (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · fi pilkata (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · he סָנַט (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · ro batjocori (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · el λοιδορώ (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · acw اَتَّرْيَق (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · es cachosear (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · zh 奚落 (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · el χλευάζω (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · fr narguer (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · tr sataşmak (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding) · el κοροϊδεύω (to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding)
Compare Old French tant (“so great”), French tant (“so much”), Latin tantus (“of such size, so great, so much”). See ataunt.
Meanings
(obsolete) Very high or tall.
the great ships, for want of ſufficient masts, will lose the advantages the taunt masts would procure 1764, Duhamel du Monceau, The Elememts of Naval Architecture: