whet

== English == === 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. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈwɛt/, [ˈwɛ(ʔ)t̚] (General American) IPA(key): /ˈwɛt/, (without the wine–whine merger) /ˈʍɛt/, [ˈʍɛ(ʔ)t̚] Homophone: wet (wine–whine merger) Rhymes: -ɛt === Verb === whet (third-person singular simple present whets, present participle whetting, simple past and past participle whetted or whet) (transitive) To sharpen (something, such as a knife or sword) by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone; to hone. Synonyms: steel, strop 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. (figurative) To make more keen or to stimulate (someone's appetite, interest, etc.); to hone, to sharpen. Synonyms: rouse; see also Thesaurus:thrill 1925-29, Mahadev Desai (translator), M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Part I, chapter xv[1]: My faith in vegetarianism grew on me from day to day. Salt's book whetted my appetite for dietetic studies. I went in for all books available on vegetarianism and read them. (obsolete) To encourage (someone) to do something; to incite, to urge. (obsolete) To inculcate or teach (habits, information, etc.). Synonyms: see Thesaurus:incite (obsolete, rare) Of a bird: to preen (its feathers). Synonyms: primp, smarten up (intransitive, figurative) To make more keen; to stimulate. To prepare for an attack. (obsolete) To consume drink or food as an appetizer. ==== Conjugation ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== whetstone ==== Translations ==== === Noun === whet (plural whets) An act of sharpening something by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone. (by extension, archaic except UK, dialectal) An occasion to do something; a go, a turn. A period of time between two sharpenings of a scythe. (figurative) 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. A thing which makes one's desire, interest, etc., more keen; an incitement, an inducement. ==== Derived terms ==== a-whet (archaic) sawwhet, saw-whet owl ==== Translations ==== === References === === Anagrams === Thew, thew == Middle English == === Noun === whet alternative form of whete == Yola == === Etymology === From Middle English whet, from Old English hwǣte, from Proto-West Germanic *hwaitī. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /hwɛt/ === Noun === whet wheat === References === Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 78