I. ˈhwet also ˈwet; usu -ed.+V transitive verb
( whetted ; whetted ; whetting ; whets )
Etymology: Middle English whetten, from Old English hwettan; akin to Old High German wezzen to whet, Old Norse hvetja to whet, incite, Gothic ga hwatjan to incite; causative from the adjective represented by Old English hwæt bold, vigorous, Old High German waz sharp, Old Norse hvatr bold, vigorous; probably akin to Latin tri quetrus three-cornered
1.
a. : to sharpen (as a tool edge) by rubbing on or with something (as a stone) : hone
whet a scythe
whet a knife
an axe whetted to a razor edge
b. : to rub vigorously together as if sharpening
whetted his hands … to get them warm — J.H.Stuart
2. archaic : urge on : incite , arouse
I will whet on the king — Shakespeare
3. : to make keen or more acute (as a faculty or desire) : stimulate , excite
whet the appetite
curiosity … whetted rather than satisfied — G.N.Ray
whets the emotions to bullfight sharpness — H.W.Young
•
- whet one's whistle
II. noun
( -s )
1. dialect
a. : a spell of work between two whettings of the scythe : turn
b. : time , while
I'll bear it this whet — Charlotte Brontë
stood talking a long whet
2. : something that sharpens or makes keen (as desire or appetite):
a. : goad , incitement
gave a whet to his revenge
b. : appetizer
gives our wish for blue a whet — Robert Frost
especially : a drink of liquor : aperitif
the beery breath of a whet … taken as he came along — Charles Dickens