WHETTING

WHET

whet

(verb) sharpen by rubbing, as on a whetstone

whet, quicken

(verb) make keen or more acute; “whet my appetite”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Verb

whetting

present participle of whet

Noun

whetting (plural whettings)

The process by which something is whetted.

Source: Wiktionary


WHET

Whet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whetted; p. pr. & vb. n. Whetting.] Etym: [AS. hwettan; akin to D. wetten, G. wetzen, OHG. wezzen, Icel. hvetja, Sw. vättja, and AS. hwæt vigorous, brave, OS. hwat, OHG. waz, was, sharp, Icel. hvatr, bold, active, Sw. hvass sharp, Dan. hvas, Goth. hwassaba sharply, and probably to Skr. cud to impel, urge on.]

1. To rub or on with some substance, as a piece of stone, for the purpose of sharpening; to sharpen by attrition; as, to whet a knife. The mower whets his scythe. Milton. Here roams the wolf, the eagle whets his beak. Byron.

2. To make sharp, keen, or eager; to excite; to stimulate; as, to whet the appetite or the courage. Since Cassius first did whet me against Cæsar, I have not slept. Shak. To whet on, To whet forward, to urge on or forward; to instigate. Shak.

Whet, n.

1. The act of whetting.

2. That which whets or sharpens; esp., an appetizer. "Sips, drams, and whets." Spectator. Whet slate (Min.), a variety of slate used for sharpening cutting instruments; novaculite; -- called also whetstone slate, and oilstone.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

9 June 2025

HERMAPHRODITE

(noun) one having both male and female sexual characteristics and organs; at birth an unambiguous assignment of male or female cannot be made


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest collection of coffee pots belongs to Robert Dahl (Germany) and consists of 27,390 coffee pots as of 2 November 2012, in Rövershagen, Germany.

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