taunt

Etymology 1

Middle French tanter (“to tempt, try, provoke”), variant of Old French tempter (“to try”). Doublet of tempt.

verb

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

noun

1. A scornful or mocking remark; a jeer or mockery
   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” November 13 2020, Duncan Campbell, “Peter Sutcliffe obituary”, in The Guardian

Etymology 2

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

adj

1. (obsolete, nautical) 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