Teasel - teazle - reazel - teasle

Teasel, teazle, teazel, and teasle are all acceptable spellings of the common (and old) English name for the plants of the Dipsacus genus. These are now grown as ornamental plants in gardens, but (specially the fuller’s teasel D. fullonum) had a large use in the textile industry for combing cloth after weaving and washing to 'raise the nap'.

The word has also been spelled as tassell, tazel, teasell, tessil, etcetera. and in Old English tæsl., . Current writers of English shouldn't use any of theses spellings.

Teasel (the spelling for which AWE has a prejudiced prederence) is derived from a Common Germanic root, cognate with the verb 'to tease''.