whet

verb

1. (transitive)To sharpen (something, such as a knife or sword) by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone; to hone.

   “Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?”

   “And the Mower whets his ſithe,”

   “Here roams the wolf, the eagle whets his beak.”

2. (transitive)Of an animal such as a boar: to sharpen (its horns, teeth, tusks, etc.) by rubbing on a stone, etc., in preparation for an attack.
3. (figuratively, transitive)To make more keen or to stimulate (someone's appetite, interest, etc.); to hone, to sharpen.

   “to whet one's appetite or one's courage”

   “Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar, / I have not slept.”

   “My faith in vegetarianism grew on me from day to day. Salt's book whetted my appetite for dietetic studies. I went in for all books available on vegetarianism and read them.”

   “In the end, porn doesn’t whet men’s appetites—it turns them off the real thing.”

4. (figuratively, obsolete, transitive)To encourage (someone) to do something; to incite, to urge.
5. (figuratively, obsolete, transitive)To inculcate or teach (habits, information, etc.).
6. (figuratively, obsolete, rare, transitive)Of a bird: to preen (its feathers).
7. (figuratively, intransitive)To make more keen; to stimulate.
8. (figuratively, intransitive)To prepare for an attack.
9. (figuratively, intransitive, obsolete)To consume drink or food as an appetizer.

noun

1. An act of sharpening something by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone.
2. (broadly, dialectal)An occasion to do something; a go, a turn.
3. (broadly, dialectal)A period of time between two sharpenings of a scythe.
4. (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.

   “sips, drams, and whets”

   “To make a nice Whet before Dinner […]”

5. (figuratively)A thing which makes one's desire, interest, etc., more keen; an incitement, an inducement.

   “A really good game, to my mind, must have an element, however slight, of physical danger to the player. This is the great whet to skilled performance.”