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whet - 5 dictionary results
whet
[hwet, wet] 
verb, whet⋅ted, whet⋅ting, noun –verb (used with object)
| 1. | to sharpen (a knife, tool, etc.) by grinding or friction. |
| 2. | to make keen or eager; stimulate: to whet the appetite; to whet the curiosity. |
–noun
| 3. | the act of whetting. |
| 4. | something that whets; appetizer or drink. |
| 5. | Chiefly Southern U.S.
|
Origin:
bef. 900; ME whetten (v.), OE hwettan (deriv. of hwæt bold); c. G wetzen, ON hvetja, Goth gahwatjan to incite
bef. 900; ME whetten (v.), OE hwettan (deriv. of hwæt bold); c. G wetzen, ON hvetja, Goth gahwatjan to incite
Related forms:
whetter, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To whet
| whet (hwět, wět) tr.v. whet·ted, whet·ting, whets
[Middle English whetten, from Old English hwettan.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Whet
Whet\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whetted; p. pr. & vb. n. Whetting.] [AS. hwettan; akin to D. wetten, G. wetzen, OHG. wezzen, Icel. hvetja, Sw. v["a]ttja, and AS. hw[ae]t 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 C[ae]sar, I have not slept. --Shak. To whet on, To whet forward, to urge on or forward; to instigate. --Shak.Whet
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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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whet
O.E. hwettan, from P.Gmc. *khwatjanan (cf. O.N. hvetja "to sharpen, encourage," M.L.G., M.Du. wetten, O.H.G. wezzan, Ger. wetzen "to sharpen," Goth. ga-hvatjan "to sharpen, incite"), from an adj. represented by O.E. hwæt "brave, bold," O.S. hwat "sharp," from P.Gmc. *khwataz, from PIE base *qwed- "sharp" (cf. Skt. codati "incites," lit. "sharpens"). Fig. sense was in O.E.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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