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Webster 1913 Edition

Whet

Whet

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Whetted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Whetting
.]
[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 Caesar,
I have not slept.
Shakespeare
To whet on
,
To whet forward
,
to urge on or forward; to instigate.
Shak.

Whet

,
Noun.
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 1828 Edition

Whet

WHET

,
Verb.
T.
pret. and pp. whetted or whet. [G.]
1.
To rub for the purpose of sharpening, as an edge tool; to sharpen by attrition; as, to whet a sythe or an ax.
2.
To provoke; to excite; to stimulate; as, to whet the appetite.
3.
To provoke; to make angry or acrimonious.
Since Cassius first did whet me against Cesar, I have not slept.
To whet on or whet forward, to urge on; to instigate. [Not used nor proper.]

WHET

,
Noun.
1.
The act of sharpening by friction.
2.
Something that provokes or stimulates the appetite; as sips, drams and whets.

Definition 2024

whet

whet

English

Verb

whet ‎(third-person singular simple present whets, present participle whetting, simple past and past participle whetted)

  1. (transitive) To hone or rub on with some substance, as a piece of stone, for the purpose of sharpening – see whetstone.
    • Milton
      The mower whets his scythe.
    • Byron
      Here roams the wolf, the eagle whets his beak.
  2. (transitive) To stimulate or make more keen.
    to whet one's appetite or one's courage
    • Shakespeare
      Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar, / I have not slept.
    • 2003-10-20, Naomi Wolf, The Porn Myth, New York Magazine
      In the end, porn doesn’t whet men’s appetites—it turns them off the real thing.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

whet ‎(plural whets)

  1. The act of whetting something.
  2. That which whets or sharpens; especially, an appetizer.
    • Spectator
    • sips, drams, and whets

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English whetten, from Old English hwettan ‎(“to whet, sharpen, incite, encourage”), from Proto-Germanic *hwatjaną ‎(“to incite, sharpen”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷēd- ‎(“sharp”). Cognate with Dutch wetten ‎(“to whet, sharpen”), German wetzen ‎(“to whet, sharpen”), Icelandic hvetja ‎(“to whet, encourage, catalyze”) Danish dialectal hvæde ‎(“to whet”).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈwɛt/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈwɛt/, [ˈwɛ(ʔ)t̚]
    • (without wine–whine) IPA(key): /ˈʍɛt/, [ˈʍɛ(ʔ)t̚]
  • Rhymes: -ɛt
  • Homophone: wet

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