whet
An act of sharpening something by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstoneAn act of sharpening something by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone.
» Here is an extract to whet your appetite.
sacredceltic · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
5 sensesAn act of sharpening something by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone.
(broadly, dialectal)An occasion to do something; a go, a turn.
(broadly, dialectal)A period of time between two sharpenings of a scythe.
(figuratively)An item of drink or food consumed as an appetizer or to ward off hunger until a meal; specifically, a small amount of liquor drunk as an appetizer; a dram, a nip.
(figuratively)A thing which makes one's desire, interest, etc., more keen; an incitement, an inducement.
Examples
7 sentencesHere is an extract to whet your appetite.
The knives are not sharp, I need to whet them.
ruНожи затупились, мне нужно их заточить. — marafon
Tom usually has a glass of wine before dinner to whet his appetite.
deTom trinkt vor dem Abendessen gewöhnlich ein Glas Wein, um seinen Appetit anzuregen. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Was the cliffhanger a downer or did it whet your appetite for more?
Let's whet your appetite.
Origin
The verb is derived from Middle English whetten (“to make the edge of (a sword, tool, etc.The verb is derived from Middle English whetten (“to make the edge of (a sword, tool, etc.) sharp; to grunt, snort; to scrape the ground with (one’s feet); to make a chattering or grinding sound; (figurative) of a person: to prepare for battle; to make (one’s wit) alert or keen; to strengthen (one’s heart or will); to incite, provoke”), from Old English hwettan (“to sharpen, whet; (figurative) to encourage, incite”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwattjan (“to sharpen, whet”), from Proto-Germanic *hwatjaną (“to sharpen, whet; (figurative) to incite, instigate”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₁d- (“sharp”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.