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whetstone

[hwet-stohn, wet-]
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noun
  1. a stone for sharpening cutlery or tools by friction.
  2. anything that sharpens: a whetstone for dull wits.
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Origin of whetstone

before 900; Middle English whetston, Old English hwetstān. See whet, stone
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for whetstone

Historical Examples

  • What he wants is ten quarts apiece, no matter if it's bluer 'n a whetstone.

    Tiverton Tales

    Alice Brown

  • Which he's the stoodent who stands up the stage over by Whetstone Springs.

    Faro Nell and Her Friends

    Alfred Henry Lewis

  • Few horses had beaten Whetstone in a race since he became the Duke's property.

  • Saddle and bridle goes with Whetstone, all a free gift, if you can ride him, Duke.

  • Whetstone would not approach nearer than ten or twelve feet.

British Dictionary definitions for whetstone

whetstone

noun
  1. a stone used for sharpening edged tools, knives, etc
  2. something that sharpens
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for whetstone

n.

Old English hwetstan; see whet + stone (n.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper