whet

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verb (whets, whetting, whetted)

[with object]

• sharpen the blade of (a tool or weapon):her husband is whetting his knife
• excite or stimulate (someone’s desire, interest, or appetite):here’s an extract to whet your appetite

noun

archaic

• a thing that stimulates appetite or desire:he swallowed his two dozen oysters as a whet

Derivatives

whetter

noun

( rare)

Origin:

Old English hwettan, of Germanic origin; related to German wetzen, based on an adjective meaning 'sharp'

Do not confuse whet with wet. Whet means 'excite someone’s interest or appetite' (this recipe should whet your appetite), whereas wet means 'covered or saturated with liquid' (I slipped on the wet rock) or 'make someone or something wet' (he wet his lips, then spoke).