An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/reizen

by Friedrich Kluge

reizen, verb, ‘to stimulate, excite, charm,’ from Middle High German reitzen, reiȥen, Old High German reizzen, reiȥen, ‘to charm, entice, lead astray’; the form with tz is due to Gothic tj. Apparently a factitive of reißen, hence literally ‘to cause to drag, make one come out of oneself’; compare Old Icelandic reita, ‘to stir up, irritate.’ Compare beizen, heizen.