whetten
English
Verb
whetten (third-person singular simple present whettens, present participle whettening, simple past and past participle whettened)
- (transitive, rare) To whet.
Anagrams
Middle English
Etymology
Inherited from Old English hwettan, from Proto-West Germanic *hwattjan, from Proto-Germanic *hwatjaną.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈhwɛtən/
Verb
whetten (third-person singular simple present whetteth, present participle whettende, whettynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle whetted)
- To sharpen; to make sharp, especially with a whetstone.
- To sharpen one's claws or tusks; to prepare for attack.
- To motivate; to encourage or cause eagerness.
- (rare) To stimulate or increase endurance.
- (rare) To growl or groan; to make hostile noises.
- (rare, of the teeth or feet) To grind against something.
Conjugation
Conjugation of whetten (weak in -ed/-te)
| infinitive | (to) whetten, whette | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| present tense | past tense | ||
| 1st-person singular | whette | whetted, whette | |
| 2nd-person singular | whettest | whettedest, whettest | |
| 3rd-person singular | whetteth | whetted, whette | |
| subjunctive singular | whette | ||
| imperative singular | — | ||
| plural1 | whetten, whette | whetteden, whettede, whetten, whette | |
| imperative plural | whetteth, whette | — | |
| participles | whettynge, whettende | whetted, whet, ywhetted, ywhet | |
1Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.
References
- “whetten, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-19.
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