WHET


Meaning of WHET in English

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

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.