1. (v. t.) To make sharp, keen, or eager; to excite; to stimulate; as, to whet the appetite or the courage\.

2. (v. t.) 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.

3. (n.) The act of whetting.

4. (n.) That which whets or sharpens; esp., an appetizer.

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