Whet

Definition: Whet

Whet

Verb

1. Make keen or more acute; "whet my appetite".

2. Sharpen by rubbing, as on a whetstone.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "whet" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1350. (references)

Slang in 1811

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonym: Whet

Desire

Cause desire, create desire, raise desire, excite desire, provoke desire; appetize, titillate, allure, attract, take one's fancy, tempt; hold out temptation, hold out allurement; tantalize, make one's mouth water, faire venir l'eau a la bouche.

Drunkenness

Liquor, liquor up; wet one's whistle, take a whet; crack a bottle, pass the bottle; toss off; (drink up); go to the alehouse, go to the public house.

Excitation

Stimulate; exsuscitate; inspirit; spirit up, stir up, work up, pique; infuse life into, give new life to; bring new blood, introduce new blood; quicken; sharpen, whet; work upon; (incite); hurry on, give a fillip, put on one's mettle.

Food

Meal, repast, feed, spread; mess; dish, plate, course; regale; regalement, refreshment, entertainment; refection, collation, picnic, feast, banquet, junket; breakfast; lunch, luncheon; dejeuner, bever, tiffin, dinner, supper, snack, junk food, fast food, whet, bait, dessert; potluck, table d'hote, dejeuner a la fourchette; hearty meal, square meal, substantial meal, full meal; blowout; light refreshment; bara, chotahazri; bara khana.

Motive

Incentive, stimulus, spur, fillip, whip, goad, ankus, rowel, provocative, whet, dram.

Preparation

Elaborate, mature, ripen, mellow, season, bring to maturity; nurture; (aid); hatch, cook, brew; temper, anneal, smelt; barbecue; infumate; maturate. equip, arm, man; fit-out, fit up; furnish, rig, dress, garnish, betrim, accouter, array, fettle, fledge; dress up, furbish up, brush up, vamp up; refurbish; sharpen one's tools, trim one's foils, set, prime, attune; whet the knife, whet the sword; wind up, screw up; adjust; (fit); put in trim, put in train, put in gear, put in working order, put in tune, put in a groove for, put in harness; pack.

Sharpness

Render sharp; Adjective: sharpen, point, aculeate, whet, barb, spiculate, set, strop, grind; chip.

Crosswords: Whet

Doctor Syntax, in the middle of a smoaking hot political squabble, wishes to whet his whistle / Rowlandson del. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "whet": To whet forward ♦ To whet on ♦ whet 3)grounding ♦ whet on ♦ whet one's appetite ♦ whet one's curiosity ♦ whet slate ♦ whet the appetite. Additional references.

Ending with "whet": Saw-whet.

Albanian

zgjoj (arouse, awake, exalt, innervate, produce, provoke, quicken, rouse, waken), nxitës oreksi, nxit (abet, actuate, arouse, begrime, bring, dare, dispose, egg on, encourage, enkindle, exhort, fan, fillip, foment, galvanize, goad, heat, impel, incendiarism, incite, induce, inflame, instigate, motivate, move, prod, prompt, provoke, push, quicken, stimulate, stir up, urge, whip, whip up, work up), nxis (abet, actuate, animate, arouse, begrime, bring, challenge, dare, dispose, drive, egg on, encourage, enkindle, exhort, fan, fillip, foment, galvanize, goad, heat, impel, incite, induce, inflame, instigate, motivate, move, prod, prompt, provoke, push, quicken, stimulate, stir up, urge, whip, whip up, work up), ngjall (arouse, awake, bestir, breed, bring to life, conjure, create, exalt, excite, feed up, heal, incur, infuse, inspire, interest, kindle, quicken, raise, revive, sow, wake), mprehës (grinder, sharpener), mpreh (edge, grind, point, sharpen). (various references)

Arabic 

‏مرة (once, time), ‏نبه (awaken, excite, exhilarate, jog, remind, stimulate, urge, waken), ‏حرك (actuate, agitate, drive, induce, jostle, mobilize, motivate, stir, toss, turn, vex), ‏أثار (aggravate, arouse, awaken, bestir, burn, chafe, elicit, engage, evoke, exacerbate, exalt, excite, fan, ferment, flurry, foment, fray, frazzle, fret, fuss, gall, get, gravel, gripe, heat, impassion, inflame, infuriate, inspire, instigate, irritate, itch, jog, jostle, kindle, madden, move, outrage, pique, remnant, rile, rouse, sour, stimulate, switch on, tease, thrill, touch off, transport, trigger, trouble, turn on, unsettle, urge, vex, whip, work), ‏شهى, ‏شحذ (be sharp, edge, grind, hone, quicken, sharp, sharpen, sharpening, stone, strop, whetting). (various references)

Bulgarian 

точа (edge, grind, hone, reel, roll out, set, sharpen, throw), остря (grind, point, sharpen, strop), наточване, наостряне, брус (burr, hone, rubber, sharpener, whetstone), подразвам, подтик (drive, fillip, goad, hypo, impulse, incentive, inducement, prompting, propulsion, push, relish, sanction, spur, stimulus, urge). (various references)

Chinese 

磨 (skive, Skiving, Whetted, Whetting). (various references)

Czech

povzbudit (buck up, cheer up, embolden, encourage, hearten, sharpen, spirit, stimulate, stir), naostřit, brousit (cut, grind, sharpen). (various references)

Danish

slibning (abrasion, acuminate, cutting, grinding, lapping, rubbing, sanding, sharpen, smoothing, surface grinding, to grind tools, whet 3)grounding), slibe (grind, rub, sand, to hone, to sharpen, to whet), hvaesse (to hone, to sharpen, to whet), grovslibning (acuminate, bruting, grinding, sharpen, surface grinding, to grind tools, whet 3)grounding), finslibe (hone, to hone, to whet). (various references)

Dutch

wetten (sharpen), slijpen (sharpen), scherpen van gereedschap (acuminate, grinding, sharpen, surface grinding, to grind tools, whet 3)grounding), honen (jeer at, make fun of, mock), gereedschapslijpen (acuminate, grinding, sharpen, surface grinding, to grind tools, whet 3)grounding), aanscherpen (to hone, to sharpen, to whet). (various references)

Farsi 

تیزکردن (Grind, Keen, Point, Sharp, Sharpen), تهییج کردن (Incense, Motivate, Stimulate), عمل تیزکردن بوسیله مالش , صاف کن , ابچرا, برانگیختن (Abet, Act, Actuate, Arouse, Evince, Exacerbate, Exasperate, Excite, Heat, Impulse, Infuse, Instigate, Irritate, Nettle, Prod, Prompt, Provoke, Roust, Sick). (various references)

Finnish

hioa (cut, grind, sharpen). (various references)

French

aiguiser (to whet). (various references)

German

wetzen (grind, scoot, sharpen, zip), schleifen (cut, drag, drill, edge, face, frogmarch, grind, haul, hone, polish, raze, sand, sharpen, slip, slur, sweat, trail). (various references)

Greek 

ερεθίζω (aggravate, chafe, exacerbate, exasperate, excite, fret, incite, inflame, irritate, nettle, pique, provoke, rankle, rile, stimulate, vex), ακόνισμα (burring, dressing, sharpening), ακονίζω (edge, grind, hone, sharpen, strop), τροχίζω (sharpen). (various references)

Hebrew 

ללטוש (hone, sharpen), ללטש (grind, polish, refurbish, sharpen, smarten), לש� ן (chatterbox, indent, jag, sharpen, talker, tongue), לח�"�" (edge, hone, point, sharpen), ל�"שחיז (grind, hone, sharpen). (various references)

Hungarian

köszörülés (grinding, setting, whetting), élesítés (arming, setting, whetting). (various references)

Indonesian

menggiurkan (bewitch, entrance, rapturous, ravish), mengasah (hone). (various references)

Italian

stuzzicare (excite, needle, pick, poke, prod, sharpen, tantalise, tantalize, tease, tickle), stimolare (abet, actuate, animate, energise, Energize, goad, incite, invite, motivate, quicken, rouse, spur, stimulate, stir, stir up, tickle), aguzzare (prick, sharpen), affilare (edge, grind, sharpen, strop), acuire (acrimonies, sharpen). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

� "ぎ澄ます (to grind, to hone, to make keen, to sharpen, to whet). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

とぎすます (to grind, to hone, to make keen, to sharpen, to whet). (various references)

Korean 

갈음질하십시�". (various references)

Manx

shleeu (grind, grinding, sharpen, sharpening, whet appetite), geyraghey (edge, exalt, fresh, fresh of mind, intensify, sharpen, sharpening, whet appetite). (various references)

Pig Latin

etwhay.(various references)

Portuguese

excitar (agitate, calorify, disgruntle, electrify, enkindle, excite, exciting, ferment, fire, flurry, flush, fluster, galvanize, incense, incite, inflame, intrigue, irritate, kindle, kittle, move, provoke, rouse, stimulate, stir, stir up, thrill, thurify, waken), excitante (burning, excitant, exciter, exciting, provocative, rousing, sexy), estimular (accelerate, actuate, arouse, awake, encourage, energize, excite, exhort, fillip, flatter, flush, galvanize, impel, incite, inspire, inspirit, irritate, jog, kindle, nurture, press, promote, put forward, quicken, rouse, stimulate, stir up, urge, vivify, waken), estimulante (bracing, fresh, life-giving, pick-me-up, provocative, rousing, stimulant, suggestive, tonic), aperitivo (appetizer, appetizing, cocktail, dram, nip, peg, snifter, snorter, stomachic), amolar (annoy, bother, hone, sharpen), afiar (edge, grind, hone, impart, point, sharpen, whittle), afiação (burring, dressing, regrinding cutter blades, sharpening). (various references)

Romanian

stimulent (cordial, drive, fillip, impetus, impulse, incentive, pick me up, spur, stimulant, stimulus), stimula (abet, activate, actuate, brace, cheer, develop, dynamize, elate, Energize, enliven, excite, fillip, fire, gladden, goad, hop, incite, inspire, irritate, lash, motive, needle, pander to, pep, pep up, prick, prompt, propel, provoke, push, quicken, rouse, sharpen, spur, stimulate, stir up, tickle, urge), excita (agitate, awaken, excite, irritate, pander to, quicken, rouse, sharpen, stimulate, stir up, tickle), dare la tocilã, asmuţi (halloo, pit), ascuţire (grind, grinding, pointing, sharpening), ascuţi (cultivate, edge, give an edge to, grind, hone, intensify, point, put an edge on, refine, set an edge to, sharpen, strop, taper, worsen), aperitiv (aperitif, appetizer, bitters, collation, relish, snack, stomachic), aţâţa (abet, blood, brighten, fan, flush, foment, incite, inflame, instigate, mend, quicken, tempt). (various references)

Russian 

точить (edge, grind, hone, sharpen, strops, turn, whetting). (various references)

Scottish

snaidh (chip, hew, shape). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

podsticaj (abetment, fillip, goad, impetus, impulse, impulsion, incentive, prod, spur, stimulus), podstaći (abet, enforce, exhort, fire, foment, galvanize, goad, incite to, induce, instigate, pique, spark, stir, stoke). (various references)

Spanish

afilar (edge, grind, hone, point, set, sharpen, taper). (various references)

Swedish

vässa (edge, sharpen). (various references)

Turkish

uyandırmak (arouse, awake, awaken, call, disabuse, disabuse of, evoke, excite, inspire, kindle, knock up, provoke, quicken, recall, revive, rouse, rouse up, spark, stir, stir up, undeceive, wake, wake up, waken), tahrik etmek (agitate, egg, egg on, excite, fan, ferment, hound, hound on, incite, instigate, irritate, jockey into, move, provoke, rough the wrong way, rouse, seduce, solicit, stimulate, sting, stir up, turn on, whip up, wind up, work up), sivriltmek (diminish, distinguish, fine away, fine down, point, sharpen, taper), iştah açıcı (aperitif, appetizer, appetizing, piquant, savoury), bileylemek, bilenme, bilemek (abrade, grind, hone, reset, sharpen), bileme (grinding, setting, sharpening), aperatif (aperitif, appetizer, collation, snack, starter), açmak (bare, beat, bring up in conversation, bring up the subject, broach, cave, cave in, clear, clear away, clear off, clear up, cleave, cut, cut loose, dehisce, denude, dilate, dilute, disclose, disentangle, elaborate, evolve, expand, fade, inaugurate, institute, lay open, lead, lighten, loosen, loosen up, offer, open, open out, open up, pass, put up, ring up, shake out, sharpen, site, spread, spread out, strip, switch on, thaw, thaw out, throw open, tint, turn on, turn up, unbind, unbosom, unburden, uncase, unclasp, uncloak, unclose, unclothe, uncoil, uncover, uncross, uncurl, undo, unfold, unfurl, unhitch, unlock, unloose, unpack, unpin, unplait, unroll, unseal, unsnarl, unstop, untangle, unthread, untie, untwine, untwist, unwind, unwrap, usher in, whiten, wind). (various references)

Turkmen 

taplamak (grind, sharpen). (various references)

Ukrainian

стимул (goad, incentive, incitement, inducement, oestrus, spur, stimulus), гостріння, гострити (hone, sharp, sharpen), збуджувати (actuate, agitate, amove, animate, arouse, electrify, elevate, exalt, excite, flurry, flush, incite, innervate, key up, kindle, pique, provoke, stimulate, tense, thrill, wake, wind up, work up). (various references)

Welsh

llymu (sharpen), hogi (hone, sharpen), blaenllymu (sharpen), awchlymu (sharpen). (various references)

parakonan. (various references)

hwettan. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations

Words beginning with "whet": whether, whets, whetstone, whetstones, whetted, whetter, whetters, whetting. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Whet" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: ghet, hwaet, hwet, phet, rhet, waet, weh, Wehr, weth, wett, whalt, whant, whart, whats, whaty, whay, whe, whea, Whec, whed, whee, wheed, wheeg, wheet, whei, wheit, whelt, whem, whent, whep, whert, whete, wheth, whett, whift, whity, wholt, whut, whzt, wiet, wnet, wyet. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: thew.

-1 letter: eth, het, hew, tew, the, wet.

-2 letters: eh, et, he, we.

+1 letter: thews, thewy, threw, wecht, wheat, whets, white, withe.

+2 letters: howlet, swathe, swithe, thawed, thawer, towhee, wealth, wechts, weight, wether, wheats, whited, whiten, whiter, whites, whitey, withed, wither, withes, wreath, wretch, writhe, wuther.

+3 letters: bewitch, fitchew, howbeit, howlets, swathed, swather, swathes, swither, thawers, thewier, thrawed, thrower, towhead, towhees, twelfth, unwhite, upthrew, watched, watcher, watches, wealths, wealthy, weather, weights, weighty, wethers, wettish, wheaten, whereat, whereto, whether, whetted, whetter, whiffet, whippet, whisted, whistle, whitely, whitens, whitest, whiteys, whither, whitier, whities, whitter, whittle, whortle, witched, witches, withers, withier, withies, worthed, wrathed, wreathe, wreaths, wreathy, writhed, writhen, writher, writhes, wuthers.