[whet] vt whet.ted ; whet.ting [ME whetten, fr. OE hwettan; akin to OHG wezzen to whet, waz sharp] (bef. 12c) 1: to sharpen by rubbing on or with something (as a stone) "~ a knife"
2: to make keen or more acute: excite, stimulate "~ the appetite" -- whet.ter n
[2]whet n (ca. 1628) 1 dial a: a spell of work done with a scythe between the time it is sharpened and the time it needs to be sharpened again b: time, while
2: something that sharpens or makes keen: a: goad, incitement b: appetizer; also: a drink of liquor