喜樂美語

Picture a blade laid at a low angle against a stone and drawn along it, again and again. Nothing is added to the knife. Metal is taken away, and what is left is thinner, keener, quicker to bite. Hold that action and the rest of the word follows: English does the same thing to a feeling. A small taste of a trip, a first episode, one painting in a window — each one takes something away rather than giving you enough, and what is left is a sharper wanting.

可以想成一把刀斜斜貼在磨刀石上，來回拉過去。過程中沒有給刀加上任何東西，反而是磨掉了一些金屬。剩下來的刃更薄、更利、更容易咬進東西。抓住這個動作，其他用法就順下來了：英文把同樣的動作用在感覺上。旅行的一小段景色、影集的第一集、櫥窗裡的一幅畫——它們給的都不夠，也正因為不夠，留下來的「想要」就更利。

From the word’s history

The packet's Wiktionary entry traces whet to Middle English whetten and Old English hwettan, glossed there as 'to sharpen, whet' and, figuratively, 'to encourage, incite'. Both the blade and the feeling are in the record from the start, so the figurative use is not a modern invention.

資料裡的 Wiktionary 說明把 whet 回溯到中古英文 whetten 和古英文 hwettan，並且直接記著兩個意思：「磨利」以及比喻的「鼓舞、挑起」。也就是說，刀刃和感覺這兩個方向，在很早的紀錄裡就同時存在，比喻用法不是後來才發明的。

Wiktionary etymology supplied in this packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:626483142): Middle English whetten < Old English hwettan 'to sharpen, whet; (figurative) to encourage, incite'

登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

容易混在一起的字在訂閱裡。容易混在一起的字需要訂閱帳號。

同家族的字

過去式 whetted過去分詞 whetted-ing whetting三單 whets

原始詞典資料14 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

whetverb/ˈwɛt/

  • 1

    archaicTo sharpen (something, such as a knife or sword) by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone; to hone.

    • Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?
    • And the Mower whets his ſithe,
  • 2

    Of an animal such as a boar: to sharpen (its horns, teeth, tusks, etc.) by rubbing on a stone, etc., in preparation for an attack.

  • 3

    To make more keen or to stimulate (someone's appetite, interest, etc.); to hone, to sharpen.

    • to whet one's appetite or one's courage
    • Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar, / I have not slept.
  • 4

    obsoleteTo encourage (someone) to do something; to incite, to urge.

  • 5

    obsoleteTo inculcate or teach (habits, information, etc.).

  • 6

    obsoleterareOf a bird: to preen (its feathers).

  • 7

    To make more keen; to stimulate.

  • 8

    To prepare for an attack.

另外 1 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    obsoleteTo consume drink or food as an appetizer.

whetnoun/ˈwɛt/

  • 1

    An act of sharpening something by rubbing on an object, especially a whetstone.

  • 2

    dialectalAn occasion to do something; a go, a turn.

  • 3

    dialectalA period of time between two sharpenings of a scythe.

  • 4

    An item of drink or food consumed as an appetizer or to ward off hunger until a meal; specifically, a small amount of liquor drunk as an appetizer; a dram, a nip.

    • sips, drams, and whets
    • To make a nice Whet before Dinner […]
  • 5

    A thing which makes one's desire, interest, etc., more keen; an incitement, an inducement.

    • A really good game, to my mind, must have an element, however slight, of physical danger to the player. This is the great whet to skilled performance.

摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。