What does whet mean?
Definitions for whet
ʰwɛt, wɛtwhet
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word whet.
Princeton's WordNet
whet, quickenverb
make keen or more acute
"whet my appetite"
whetverb
sharpen by rubbing, as on a whetstone
Wiktionary
whetverb
To hone or rub on with some substance, as a piece of stone, for the purpose of sharpening – see whetstone.
whetverb
To stimulate or make more keen.
To whet one's appetite.
Etymology: From whetten, from hwettan, from hwatjanan, from kʷēd-. Cognate with wetten, wetzen, dialectal hvæde.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Whetnoun
Etymology: from the verb.
An iv’ry table is a certain whet;
You would not think how heartily he’ll eat. Dryden.He assisted at four hundred bowls of punch, not to mention sips, drams, and whets. Spectator.
To WHETverb
Etymology: hwettan , Saxon; wetten, Dutch.
Fool, thou whet’st a knife to kill thyself. William Shakespeare, R. III.
Thou hid’st a thousand daggers in thy thoughts,
Which thou hast whetted on thy stony heart,
To stab at half an hour of my frail life. William Shakespeare, H. IV.This visitation
Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose. William Shakespeare, Hamlet.Unsophisticated vitriol, rubbed on the whetted blade of a knife, will not impart its colour. Boyle.
There is the Roman slave whetting his knife, and listening. Joseph Addison, on Italy.
Eloquence, smooth and cutting, is like a razor whetted with oil. Jonathan Swift.
Peace, good queen;
O whet not on these too too furious peers;
For blessed are the peace-makers. William Shakespeare, H. VI.Since Cassius first did whet me against Cæsar,
I have not slept. William Shakespeare, Julius Cæsar.I will whet on the king. William Shakespeare, King John.
He favoured the Christian merchants; and the more to whet him forwards, the bassa had cunningly insinuated into his acquaintance one Mulearabe. Richard Knolles.
Let not thy deep bitterness beget
Careless despair in me; for that will whet
My mind to scorn. John Donne.The cause why onions, salt, and pepper, in baked meats, move appetite, is by vellication of those nerves; for motion whetteth. Francis Bacon, Natural History.
A disposition in the king began to be discovered, which, nourished and whetted on by bad counsellors, proved the blot of his times; which was the crushing treasure out of his subjects purses, by penal laws. Francis Bacon, Henry VII.
’Tis a sad contemplation, that we should sacrifice the church’s peace to the whetting and inflaming of a little vain curiosity. Decay of Piety.
Great contemporaries whet and cultivate each other. Dryd.
Himself invented first the shining share,
And whetted human industry by care;
Nor suffer’d sloth to rust his active reign. John Dryden, Georg.
Wikipedia
WHET
WHET (97.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic country format. Licensed to West Frankfort, Illinois, United States, the station serves the Marion-Carbondale area. The station is owned by Withers Broadcasting and the broadcast license held by Withers Broadcasting of Southern Illinois, LLC. WHET features programming from Westwood One.
ChatGPT
whet
Whet is a verb that typically means to sharpen the edge of a tool or weapon, such as a knife, by grinding or friction. Figuratively, it can also mean to stimulate or excite someone's desire, interest, or appetite. For example, a book preview might whet a reader's appetite for the full story.
Webster Dictionary
Whetverb
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
Whetverb
to make sharp, keen, or eager; to excite; to stimulate; as, to whet the appetite or the courage
Whetnoun
the act of whetting
Whetnoun
that which whets or sharpens; esp., an appetizer
Etymology: [AS. hwettan; akin to D. wetten, G. wetzen, OHG. wezzen, Icel. hvetja, Sw. vttja, and AS. hwt 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.]
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Whet
hwet, v.t. to sharpen by rubbing: to make keen: to excite: (obs.) to preen:—pr.p. whet′ting: pa.t. and pa.p. whet′ted.—n. act of sharpening: something that sharpens the appetite.—ns. Whet′-stone, a stone for sharpening edged instruments: a stimulant; Whet′ter.—Whet on, or forward (Shak.), to urge on. [A.S. hwettan—hwæt, sharp; Ger. wetzen.]
Suggested Resources
WHET
What does WHET stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the WHET acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.
Whet
Wet vs. Whet -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Wet and Whet.
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Anagrams for whet »
thew
hewt
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of whet in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of whet in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of whet in a Sentence
If Tiger can get his putting right you wouldn't rule him out, from tee to green his ball-striking has been pretty good since he returned from his back injury at the end of 2017 and a bit of links golf might just whet his appetite.
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References
Translations for whet
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- شحذArabic
- afilarCatalan, Valencian
- wetzenGerman
- afilar, estimularSpanish
- faobhraighIrish
- stuzzicare, stimolareItalian
- whakapukuMāori
- wetten, slijpen, scherpenDutch
- whetNorwegian
- afiarPortuguese
- ațâța, ascuțiRomanian
- точить, возбуждать, разжигать, править, обострятьRussian
- fila, skärpa, slipaSwedish
- இடங்கம்Tamil
- 磨Chinese
Get even more translations for whet »
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"whet." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 15 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/whet>.
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