Whet Definition
wĕt, hwĕt
whets, whetted, whetting
verb
whets, whetted, whetting
To sharpen by rubbing or grinding (the edge of a knife or tool); hone.
Webster's New World
To make keen; stimulate.
To whet the appetite.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
noun
whets
An act of whetting.
Webster's New World
Something that whets (the appetite, etc.)
Webster's New World
That which whets or sharpens; especially, an appetizer.
Wiktionary
Origin of Whet
-
From Middle English whetten, from Old English hwettan (“to whet, sharpen, incite, encourage"), from Proto-Germanic *hwatjanÄ… (“to incite, sharpen"), from Proto-Indo-European *kÊ·Ä“d- (“sharp"). Cognate with Dutch wetten (“to whet, sharpen"), German wetzen (“to whet, sharpen"), Danish dialectal hvæde (“to whet").
From Wiktionary
Middle English whetten from Old English hwettan
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Related Articles
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to whet using the buttons below.