verb (used with object)
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.
a.
a spell of work.
b.
a while: to talk a whet.
00:10
Whet is an SAT word you need to know.
So is waive. Does it mean:
| surrender under agreed conditions |
| to refrain from claiming or insisting on; give up; forgo: |
Origin:
before 900; Middle English whetten (v.), Old English hwettan (derivative of hwæt bold); cognate with Germanwetzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothic gahwatjan to incite
before 900; Middle English whetten (v.), Old English hwettan (derivative of hwæt bold); cognate with Germanwetzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothic gahwatjan to incite
Related forms
whet·ter, noun
un·whet·ted, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To whet
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World English Dictionary
whet (wɛt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uzWpb5Ui0whBWzsF6J2lFwtRm6RaU6VFNpbIzJ1qwfIEwVD8jQbB_Y_umh1iPZPnu8KTu-8R-s12qKZ7EcHvwzLG_b2PipvIAPLyDoWTZHXtmV_ZbunbKdxOu8rXnQne5xqErdm-KAaLkjxcPiY3Q=s0-d) | |
| — vb , whets , whetting , whetted | |
| 1. | to sharpen, as by grinding or friction |
| 2. | to increase or enhance (the appetite, desire, etc); stimulate |
| — n | |
| 3. | the act of whetting |
| 4. | a person or thing that whets |
| [Old English hwettan; related to hvæt sharp, Old High German hwezzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothichvatjan ] | |
| 'whetter | |
| — n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
whet
O.E. hwettan, from P.Gmc. *khwatjanan (cf. O.N. hvetja "to sharpen, encourage," M.L.G., M.Du. wetten,O.H.G. wezzan, Ger. wetzen "to sharpen," Goth. ga-hvatjan "to sharpen, incite"), from an adj. representedby O.E. hwæt "brave, bold," O.S. hwat "sharp," from P.Gmc. *khwataz, from PIE base *qwed-
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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