whet.
To sharpen (something, such as a knife or sword) by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone; to hone.
Meaning & usage
To sharpen (something, such as a knife or sword) by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone; to hone.
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.
To make more keen or to stimulate (someone's appetite, interest, etc.); to hone, to sharpen.
to whet one's appetite or one's courage
To encourage (someone) to do something; to incite, to urge.
To inculcate or teach (habits, information, etc.).
Of a bird: to preen (its feathers).
To make more keen; to stimulate.
To prepare for an attack.
To consume drink or food as an appetizer.
Where this word comes from
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. cognates * Dialectal Danish hvæde (“to whet”) * Dutch wetten (“to whet, sharpen”) * German wetzen (“to whet, sharpen”) * Icelandic hvetja (“to whet, encourage, catalyze”)
An act of sharpening something by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone.
An occasion to do something; a go, a turn.
A period of time between two sharpenings of a scythe.
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.
Where this word comes from
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. cognates * Dialectal Danish hvæde (“to whet”) * Dutch wetten (“to whet, sharpen”) * German wetzen (“to whet, sharpen”) * Icelandic hvetja (“to whet, encourage, catalyze”)
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.