whet

Plural: whets

Verb

Verb Forms: whetted, whetting, whets

To sharpen the edge of a tool or blade by rubbing.
make keen or more acute
- "whet my appetite"
sharpen by rubbing, as on a whetstone
To hone or rub on with some substance, as a piece of stone, for the purpose of sharpening – see whetstone.
To stimulate or make more keen.
To preen.

Noun

The act of whetting something.
That which whets or sharpens; especially, an appetizer.

Examples

He tried to whet his opponent’s appetite for a challenge with a complex opening word.
to whet one's appetite or one's courage

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English whetten, from Old English hwettan (“to whet, sharpen, incite, encourage”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwattjan, from Proto-Germanic *hwatjaną (“to incite, sharpen”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₁d- (“sharp”).
Cognate with Dutch wetten (“to whet, sharpen”), German wetzen (“to whet, sharpen”), Icelandic hvetja (“to whet, encourage, catalyze”), dialectal Danish hvæde (“to whet”).

Synonyms

quicken, animate, awaken, electrify, enflame, enkindle, enthrill, exagitate, excite, exhilarate, exsuscitate, fillip, fire, fire the blood, galvanize, gin up, ignite, inflame, intoxicate, kindle, primp, rouse, send, set fire to, set on fire, sharpen, smarten up, steel, stir the blood, strop, suscitate, thrill, vitalise, wake, warm the blood, whet, wind up, work up, yerk

Scrabble Score: 10

whet: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
whet: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
whet: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

whet: valid Words With Friends Word