whet

verb

No English definition recorded for this entry.

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈwɛt/ / [ˈwɛ(ʔ)t̚] / /ˈʍɛt/

noun

Etymology: The verb is derived from Middle English whetten (“to make the edge of (a sword, tool, etc.) sharp; to grunt, snort; to scrape the ground with (one’s feet); to make a chattering or grinding sound; (figurative) of a person: to prepare for battle; to make (one’s wit) alert or keen; to strengthen (one’s heart or will); to incite, provoke”), from Old English hwettan (“to sharpen, whet; (figurative) to encourage, incite”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwattjan (“to sharpen, whet”), from Proto-Germanic *hwatjaną (“to sharpen, whet; (figurative) to incite, instigate”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₁d- (“sharp”). Verb sense 1.3.3 (“to inculcate or teach (habits, information, etc.)”) is from Deuteronomy 6:6–7 in the Bible (New International Version): “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.” The word translated as impress is Hebrew שָׁנַן (shanán, “to be sharp; to sharpen, whet”). The noun is derived from the verb. cognates * Dialectal Danish hvæde (“to whet”) * Dutch wetten (“to whet, sharpen”) * German wetzen (“to whet, sharpen”) * Icelandic hvetja (“to whet, encourage, catalyze”)

An act of sharpening something by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone.
An occasion to do something; a go, a turn.
A period of time between two sharpenings of a scythe.
An item of drink or food consumed as an appetizer or to ward off hunger until a meal; specifically, a small amount of liquor drunk as an appetizer; a dram, a nip.
“sips, drams, and whets”
“To make a nice Whet before Dinner […]”
A thing which makes one's desire, interest, etc., more keen; an incitement, an inducement.
“A really good game, to my mind, must have an element, however slight, of physical danger to the player. This is the great whet to skilled performance.”

verb

To sharpen (something, such as a knife or sword) by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone; to hone.
“Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?”
“And the Mower whets his ſithe,”
Of an animal such as a boar: to sharpen (its horns, teeth, tusks, etc.) by rubbing on a stone, etc., in preparation for an attack.
To make more keen or to stimulate (someone's appetite, interest, etc.); to hone, to sharpen.
“to whet one's appetite or one's courage”
“Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar, / I have not slept.”
To encourage (someone) to do something; to incite, to urge.
To inculcate or teach (habits, information, etc.).
Of a bird: to preen (its feathers).
To make more keen; to stimulate.
To prepare for an attack.
To consume drink or food as an appetizer.