# whet

Pronunciation: say "WET" /ˈwɛt/

## Verb

1. To stimulate something such as appetite, curiosity, or interest, making it keener.
   - Simple: To make a feeling like hunger, interest, or curiosity grow stronger.
   - _The opening chapter whetted readers' curiosity about who the killer was._
   - _A few hints about the trip can whet anyone's enthusiasm._
2. To sharpen a blade or tool by honing it against a hard surface such as a stone.
   - Simple: To make a blade or tool sharp by rubbing it on a stone.
   - _The butcher whetted his cleaver on a steel before each cut._
   - _Soldiers would whet their blades the night before a battle._

## Noun

3. An instance of sharpening or honing something, such as a blade drawn against a stone.
   - Simple: One act of sharpening something, such as a knife rubbed on a stone.
   - _Grandpa gave his pocketknife a quick whet on the stone before cutting the rope._
   - _He gave the scythe a quick whet at the end of each row before mowing on._

## Verb

4. To preen, drawing the feathers through the beak to clean and arrange them. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To clean and smooth feathers with the beak, as a bird does.

## Other meanings

- (noun) Something that stimulates, especially an appetizer or a drink taken before a meal to sharpen the appetite.

## Origin

The root is a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "sharp," which passed through Proto-Germanic *hwatjaną into Old English hwettan ("to sharpen, whet, encourage, incite") and Middle English whetten. Dutch wetten, German wetzen, and Icelandic hvetja are related, and all mean to whet or sharpen.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/whet (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).