whet
[ hwet, wet ]
/ ʰwɛt, wɛt /
verb (used with object), whet·ted, whet·ting.
to sharpen (a knife, tool, etc.) by grinding or friction.
to make keen or eager; stimulate: to whet the appetite; to whet the curiosity.
noun
the act of whetting.
something that whets; appetizer or drink.
Chiefly Southern U.S.
- a spell of work.
- a while: to talk a whet.
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Nearby words
wherewith, wherewithal, wherret, wherrit, wherry, whet, whet one's appetite, whether, whether or not, whetstone, whew
Origin of whet
before 900; Middle English whetten (v.), Old English hwettan (derivative of hwæt bold); cognate with German wetzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothic gahwatjan to incite
Related formswhet·ter, nounun·whet·ted, adjective
Can be confusedwet whet
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for whetted
British Dictionary definitions for whetted
whet
/ (wɛt) /
verb whets, whetting or whetted (tr)
to sharpen, as by grinding or friction
to increase or enhance (the appetite, desire, etc); stimulate
noun
the act of whetting
a person or thing that whets
Derived Formswhetter, noun
Word Origin for whet
Old English hwettan; related to hvæt sharp, Old High German hwezzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothic hvatjan
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for whetted
whet
Old English hwettan, from Proto-Germanic *khwatjanan (cf. Old Norse hvetja "to sharpen, encourage," Middle Low German, Middle Dutch wetten, Old High German wezzan, German wetzen "to sharpen," Gothic ga-hvatjan "to sharpen, incite"), from an adjective represented by Old English hwæt "brave, bold," Old Saxon hwat "sharp," from Proto-Germanic *khwataz, from PIE root *qwed- "sharp" (cf. Sanskrit codati "incites," literally "sharpens"). Figurative sense was in Old English.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper