| 释义 |
whet
I. \ˈhwet also ˈwet; usu -ed.+V\ transitive verb
(whetted ; whetted ; whetting ; whets)
Etymology: Middle English whetten, from Old English hwettan; akin to Old High German wezzen to whet, Old Norse hvetja to whet, incite, Gothic gahwatjan to incite; causative from the adjective represented by Old English hwæt bold, vigorous, Old High German waz sharp, Old Norse hvatr bold, vigorous; probably akin to Latin triquetrus three-cornered
1.
a. : to sharpen (as a tool edge) by rubbing on or with something (as a stone) : hone
< whet a scythe >
< whet a knife >
< an axe whetted to a razor edge >
b. : to rub vigorously together as if sharpening
< whetted his hands … to get them warm — J.H.Stuart >
2. archaic : urge on : incite, arouse
< I will whet on the king — Shakespeare >
3. : to make keen or more acute (as a faculty or desire) : stimulate, excite
< whet the appetite >
< curiosity … whetted rather than satisfied — G.N.Ray >
< whets the emotions to bullfight sharpness — H.W.Young >
•
- whet one's whistle
II. noun
(-s)
1. dialect
a. : a spell of work between two whettings of the scythe : turn
b. : time, while
< I'll bear it this whet — Charlotte Brontë >
< stood talking a long whet >
2. : something that sharpens or makes keen (as desire or appetite):
a. : goad, incitement
< gave a whet to his revenge >
b. : appetizer
< gives our wish for blue a whet — Robert Frost >
especially : a drink of liquor : aperitif
< the beery breath of a whet … taken as he came along — Charles Dickens > |