whetting

Variant of whet

transitive verb whetted, whetting

  1. to sharpen by rubbing or grinding (the edge of a knife or tool); hone
  2. to make keen; stimulate: to whet the appetite

Origin: ME whetten < OE hwettan, to make keen < hwæt, sharp, keen, bold < IE base *kwed-, to pierce, sharpen, whet > prob. L (tri)quetrus, (three-)cornered

noun

  1. an act of whetting
  2. something that whets (the appetite, etc.)

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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