Definitions for whet
ʰwɛt, wɛtwhet

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. whet, quickenverb

   make keen or more acute

   "whet my appetite"

2. whetverb

   sharpen by rubbing, as on a whetstone

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. whetverb

   To hone or rub on with some substance, as a piece of stone, for the purpose of sharpening – see whetstone.

2. whetverb

   To stimulate or make more keen.

   To whet one's appetite.

3. Etymology: From whetten, from hwettan, from hwatjanan, from kʷēd-. Cognate with wetten, wetzen, dialectal hvæde.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Whetnoun

   Etymology: from the verb.

   1. The act of sharpening.2. Any thing that makes hungry, as a dram.

   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.

2. To WHETverb

   Etymology: hwettan , Saxon; wetten, Dutch.

   1. To sharpen by attrition.

   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.

   2. To edge; to make angry or acrimonious.

   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.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. 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.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. 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 DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. 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

2. Whetverb

   to make sharp, keen, or eager; to excite; to stimulate; as, to whet the appetite or the courage

3. Whetnoun

   the act of whetting

4. Whetnoun

   that which whets or sharpens; esp., an appetizer

5. 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 DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. 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 ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. WHET

   What does WHET stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the WHET acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

2. Whet

   Wet vs. Whet -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Wet and Whet.

Matched Categories

1. • Sharpen
   • Stimulate

Anagrams for whet »

1. thew

2. hewt

How to pronounce whet?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say whet in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of whet in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of whet in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of whet in a Sentence

1. Tony Jacklin:

   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.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=whet
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Whet
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=whet
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whet
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whet
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=whet