whet

[ hwet, wet ]

See synonyms for whet on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

Other words from whet

whet·ter, noun
un·whet·ted, adjective

Words that may be confused with whet

wet, whet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use whet in a sentence

Provocatives of drink were called "shoeing horses," "whetters," "drawers off and pullers on."
The Art of Entertaining | M. E. W. Sherwood

British Dictionary definitions for whet

whet

/ (wɛt) /

verbwhets, 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

Origin of whet

Old English hwettan; related to hvæt sharp, Old High German hwezzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothic hvatjan

Derived forms of whet

whetter, noun

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

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