Noah Webster
Whet
WHET, verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive whetted or whet [G.]
1. To rub for the purpose of sharpening, as an edge tool; to sharpen by attrition; as, to whet a sythe or an ax.
2. To provoke; to excite; to stimulate; as, to whet the appetite.
3. To provoke; to make angry or acrimonious.
Since Cassius first did whet me against Cesar, I have not slept.
To whet on or whet forward, to urge on; to instigate. [Not used nor proper.]
WHET, noun
1. The act of sharpening by friction.
2. Something that provokes or stimulates the appetite; as sips, drams and whets.