A Word A Day : Whet

Wednesday, 26th March 2008 : Today's Word is ...

Whet




( Verb & Noun )



Pronunciation : wet & hwet


Definition:


Past and past participle : whetted
Present participle : whetting
3rd person present singular : whets


1. to make a feeling, sense or desire more keen or intense

2. to sharpen the cutting edge or blade of a tool or weapon, usually by rubbing it on a stone

3. to make more keen

4. an act of sharpening, intensifying or stimulating something

5. something that sharpens a cutting edge

6. something that stimulates a feeling, sense or desire, especially a small amount that makes somebody want more ( informal )


NOTE : Another word that sounds similar to whet is wet which means to be moist.


Etymology:


Old English - hwettan - sharpen - Germanic - sharp


Synonyms:


edge, file, finish, grind, hone, sharpen, strop, animate, awaken, challenge, enhance, excite, hone, incite, increase, kindle, pique, provoke, quicken, rally, rouse, stimulate, stir, wake, waken

Provoke means to stir up or arouse - or to incite to anger or resentment.

Evoke means to call forth or call to mind emotions, feelings and responses.


Antonyms:


blunt, dull, dampen, dishearten, quell


Contextual Examples:


• The frying bacon whetted my appetite.

• The delicious smells coming from the kitchen served to whet our appetites for dinner.

• These fragments of nourishment served only to whet my hunger.

• Still calmly, though my heart was going pitapat, I pulled out Louis's dirk and began to whet it on the stone.

• The thought of easy money whetted my enthusiasm for the undertaking.

• Maurice Huret in his famous article gave an outline of Charles Strickland's life which was well calculated to whetted the appetites of the inquiring.


Related Words:


whetter : Noun


Enjoy this list and then get around for preparing your own list of words. There is no better way of boosting your words power. The most effective way to build your vocabulary is described in the page on Word Power. Educational research has discovered that your I.Q. is intimately related to your Word Power. Take a standard Vocabulary test and then an intelligent test, the result in both will be substantially the same. The more extensive your vocabulary, the better your chances of success, other things being equal- success in attaining your educational goals, success in moving ahead in your business or professional career, success in achieving your intellectual potential.

Previous Word| Next Word



A Word A Day Index


From Whet to HOME PAGE