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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Whet \Whet\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Whetted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Whetting}.] [AS. hwettan; akin to D. wetten, G. wetzen, OHG. wezzen, Icel. hvetja, Sw. v["a]ttja, and AS. hw[ae]t 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 C[ae]sar, I have not slept. --Shak.
{To whet on}, {To whet forward}, to urge on or forward; to instigate. --Shak.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Whet \Whet\, noun
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}.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
whet
verb
1: make keen or more acute; "whet my appetite" [syn: {quicken}]
2: sharpen by rubbing, as on a whetstone [also: {whetting}, {whetted}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
130 Moby Thesaurus words for "whet": accelerate, aculeate, acuminate, aggravate, agitate, animate, antepast, antipasto, aperitif, appetizer, arouse, awaken, bait, barb, beef up, bestir, blow the coals, blow up, bribe, canape, carrot, challenge, complicate, concentrate, condense, consolidate, cultivate, cuspidate, deepen, double, edge, encouragement, enhance, enliven, exacerbate, exaggerate, excite, exhilarate, fan, fan the flame, feed the fire, ferment, file, fillip, fire, foment, foretaste, galvanize, grind, heat, heat up, heighten, hone, hop up, hot up, impassion, incense, incentive, incite, incitement, inducement, inflame, infuse life into, instigate, intensify, interest, invigorate, invitation, jazz up, key up, kindle, lure, magnify, make complex, make sensitive, nettle, oilstone, payment, percentage, persuasive, pick up, pique, point, profit, provocation, provoke, put up to, quicken, rally, ramify, redouble, refine, reinforce, renew, reset, resuscitate, revive, reward, rouse, sensibilize, sensitize, set, set on, sharp, sharpen, sic on, smorgasbord, soup up, spiculate, spur, step up, stimulate, stimulation, stimulative, stimulus, stir, stir the embers, stir up, strap, strengthen, strop, sweetener, sweetening, taper, tickle, triple, wake, waken, whip up, work up
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