whet

Definition

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

Etymology

From Middle English whetten, from Old English hwettan (“to whet, sharpen, incite, encourage”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwattjan, from Proto-Germanic *hwatjaną (“to incite, sharpen”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₁d- (“sharp”). Cognate with Dutch wetten (“to whet, sharpen”), German wetzen (“to whet, sharpen”), Icelandic hvetja (“to whet, encourage, catalyze”), dialectal Danish hvæde (“to whet”).

Example Sentences

• "Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?"
• "And the Mower whets his ſithe,"
• "Here roams the wolf, the eagle whets his beak."