WHET Whet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whetted; p. pr. & vb. n. Whetting.] Etym: [AS. hwettan; akin to D. wetten, G. wetzen, OHG. wezzen, Icel. hvetja, Sw. vättja, and AS. hwæt vigorous, brave, OS. hwat, OHG. waz, was, sharp, Icel. hvatr, bold, active, Sw. hvass sharp, Dan. hvas, Goth. hwassaba sharply, and probably to Skr. cud to impel, urge on.]
1. To rub or on with some substance, as a piece of stone, for the purpose of sharpening; to sharpen by attrition; as, to whet a knife. The mower whets his scythe. Milton. Here roams the wolf, the eagle whets his beak. Byron.
2. To make sharp, keen, or eager; to excite; to stimulate; as, to whet the appetite or the courage. Since Cassius first did whet me against Cæsar, I have not slept. Shak. To whet on, To whet forward, to urge on or forward; to instigate. Shak.
WHET
Whet, n.
1. The act of whetting.
2. That which whets or sharpens; esp., an appetizer. "Sips, drams, and whets." Spectator. Whet slate (Min.), a variety of slate used for sharpening cutting instruments; novaculite; — called also whetstone slate, and oilstone.
WHETHER Wheth"er, pron. Etym: [OE. whether, AS. hwæ; akin to OS. hwe, OFries. hweder, OHG. hwedar, wedar, G. weder, conj., neither, Icel. hvarr whether, Goth. hwa, Lith. katras, L. uter, Gr. katara, from the interrogatively pronoun, in AS. hwa who. Who, and cf. Either, Neither, Or, conj.]
Defn: Which (of two); which one (of two); — used interrogatively and
relatively. [Archaic]
Now choose yourself whether that you liketh. Chaucer.
One day in doubt I cast for to compare Whether in beauties' glory did
exceed. Spenser.
Whether of them twain did the will of his father Matt. xxi. 31.
WHETHER
Wheth"er, conj.
Defn: In case; if; — used to introduce the first or two or more alternative clauses, the other or others being connected by or, or by or whether. When the second of two alternatives is the simple negative of the first it is sometimes only indicated by the particle not or no after the correlative, and sometimes it is omitted entirely as being distinctly implied in the whether of the first. And now who knows But you, Lorenzo, whether I am yours Shak. You have said; but whether wisely or no, let the forest judge. Shak. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. Rom. xiv. 8. But whether thus these things, or whether not; Whether the sun, predominant in heaven, Rise on the earth, or earth rise on the sun, . . . Solicit not thy thoughts with matters hid. Milton. Whether or no, in either case; in any case; as, I will go whether or no. — Whether that, whether. Shak.