word
Greek
Tantalize / Tantalus
To dangle something desirable just out of reach.
Origin
Tantalus, a king who had offended the gods (in the worst version, by serving them his own son at a feast), was punished in the underworld by being made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree. Whenever he reached for the fruit, the branches pulled away; whenever he stooped to drink, the water receded. The verb 'tantalize' is his direct descendant.
Modern usage
Standard English. 'A tantalizing offer,' 'tantalizing evidence,' 'tantalizingly close' — used wherever something is presented as available but kept just beyond reach. The myth itself is now niche; the word is universal.
Tags
punishment
desire
frustration