whet

[hwet, wet] /ʰwɛt, wɛt/
verb (used with object), whetted, whetting.
1.
to sharpen (a knife, tool, etc.) by grinding or friction.
2.
to make keen or eager; stimulate:
to whet the appetite; to whet the curiosity.
noun
3.
the act of whetting.
4.
something that whets; appetizer or drink.
5.
Chiefly Southern U.S.
  1. a spell of work.
  2. a while:
    to talk a whet.
Origin
before 900; Middle English whetten (v.), Old English hwettan (derivative of hwæt bold); cognate with German wetzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothic gahwatjan to incite
Related forms
whetter, noun
unwhetted, adjective
Can be confused
wet, whet.
Examples from the web for whet
  • Another swallower works underwater, in what may be a futile attempt to whet the blade.
  • They are conversation pieces that whet the imagination.
  • The media mogul and philanthropist aims to whet a public taste for the low-fat bison burger.
  • Purists have sought to revive the sound of wh, especially where confusion might result, as in whet contrasted with wet.
  • Anyway, that's a historical fillip to whet your attention.
  • When a wire edge forms on the full length of the blade, lightly whet the flat side to remove it.
British Dictionary definitions for whet

whet

/wɛt/
verb (transitive) whets, whetting, whetted
1.
to sharpen, as by grinding or friction
2.
to increase or enhance (the appetite, desire, etc); stimulate
noun
3.
the act of whetting
4.
a person or thing that whets
Derived Forms
whetter, noun
Word Origin
Old English hwettan; related to hvæt sharp, Old High German hwezzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothic hvatjan
Word Origin and History for whet
v.

Old English hwettan, from Proto-Germanic *khwatjanan (cf. Old Norse hvetja "to sharpen, encourage," Middle Low German, Middle Dutch wetten, Old High German wezzan, German wetzen "to sharpen," Gothic ga-hvatjan "to sharpen, incite"), from an adjective represented by Old English hwæt "brave, bold," Old Saxon hwat "sharp," from Proto-Germanic *khwataz, from PIE root *qwed- "sharp" (cf. Sanskrit codati "incites," literally "sharpens"). Figurative sense was in Old English.