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.
a.
a spell of work.
b.
a while: to talk a whet.
00:10
Whet
is an SAT word you need to know.
So is servile. Does it mean:
| slavishly submissive |
| to surge or foam as if boiling. |
Origin:
before 900; Middle English whetten (v.), Old English hwettan (derivative of hwæt bold); cognate with German wetzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothic gahwatjan to incite
before 900; Middle English whetten (v.), Old English hwettan (derivative of hwæt bold); cognate with German wetzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothic gahwatjan to incite
Related forms
whet·ter, noun
un·whet·ted, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To whet
Collins
World English Dictionary
whet (wɛt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb , whets, whetting, whetted | |
| 1. | to sharpen, as by grinding or friction |
| 2. | to increase or enhance (the appetite, desire, etc); stimulate |
| —n | |
| 3. | the act of whetting |
| 4. | a person or thing that whets |
| [Old English hwettan; related to hvæt sharp, Old High German hwezzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothic hvatjan] | |
| 'whetter | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Purists have sought to revive the sound of wh, especially where confusion might result, as in whet contrasted with wet.
Another swallower works underwater, in what may be a futile attempt to whet the blade.
They are conversation pieces that whet the imagination.
When a wire edge forms on the full length of the blade, lightly whet the flat side to remove it.
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