whet
[hwet, wet]
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for whetting
hone, sharpen, pique, incite, stimulate, kindle, file, edge, finish, grind, strop, awaken, waken, provoke, challenge, increase, wake, rally, enhance, animateExamples from the Web for whetting
Contemporary Examples of whetting
With the New Libran Moon on Tuesday, adventure is in the air, whetting your Leo appetite, which has recently been lagging.
Historical Examples of whetting
In whetting the points hold the pen at an angle of 12 degrees.
Practical Mechanics for BoysJ. S. Zerbe
The whetting, of course, is the reverse of that on the outside bevel gouge.
Handwork in WoodWilliam Noyes
They are whetting their beaks, as if they expected a banquet.
The Lone RancheCaptain Mayne Reid
I fancy it was the parrot at the window, whetting his bill upon his cage-wires.
The Works of Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe
Perhaps you have been whetting your teeth at Easter and Michaelmas?
Poems of The Third PeriodFriedrich Schiller
whet
verb whets, whetting or whetted (tr)
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
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whet
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper