Middle English Dictionary Entry
whet-stōn n.
Entry Info
| Forms | whet-stōn n. Also whet(e)stone, whetstan(e, whetesston, whetteston(e, wheston(e, whestoun, whescestone, whostan, wetston, weston(e, watstone, (N) whatstane, qwetstan, questane, (NEM) quetstone, (early) hweston & (in names) whetistan, whestan, whiston, whistan, wet(e)stan, wetteston, wettesteston, westan, wiston, queston & (?error) ghestoun. |
| Etymology | OE hwet-stān, hwete-, hueti-. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: See also swet-stān n.
1.
(a) A piece of hard stone used to sharpen cutting tools, a whetstone; also fig.; also person.; ~ makere, a maker of whetstones;
(b) coll. & pl. stone suitable for making whetstones; also, whetstone as a commodity;
(c) a whetstone used as a grater; ~ of nor-weie;
(d) a whetstone serving as a token of falseness, apparently hung about the neck of a convicted liar;
(e) in surnames and place names [see Smith PNElem.1.272].
Associated quotations
a
- c1225(OE) Wor.Aelfric Gloss.(Wor F.174)552 : Cos: hweston.
- (1312) in G.Otto Handwerkernamen ()88 : Whescestone makere.
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)513 : Fonyle, keux, et lucher: Tunningmele, weston, slikeston.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.13 : The whetston [Higd.(2): whetteston]…makeþ yren sharpe and kene.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)7.341 : He…whette þe rude soules to goode wiþ þe whestoun of vertues.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)1.631 : A wheston is no kervyng instrument, But yet it maketh sharppe kervyng tolis.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)1.890 : Vppon thy whetstoon sle the cantaride…a vyne if he enfeste.
- (a1451) Will York in Sur.Soc.4599 : j qwetstan.
- (1472) Acc.R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.99247 : j dressyngknyffe…j whatstane.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)138b : A Whetstane [Monson: Whette stone]: Cos.
- 1483 Cath.Angl.(Monson 168)297 : A Questane: cos.
- a1500 Add.37075 Gloss (Add 37075)12/67a : Cos: wetston.
- a1500 Add.37075 Gloss (Add 37075)88/321b : Acuperium, cos: whettstone.
- a1500 Gloss Dict.Garland (Hrl 1002)123 : Cotes [glossed:] wetstonys.
- ?a1500 Lndsb.Nominale (Lndsb)768/26 : Cos: a watstone.
- c1500 The shype ax (Ashm 61)251 : The groping-iren seys full sone, ‘Mayster, wyll ȝe wele done?’…Than bespake þe whetston And seyd, ‘Mayster, we wyll go home, For fast it draw vnto þe nyght.’
b
- (1324-5) in Gras Eng.Cust.Syst.381 : Idem Godekyn pro v lastis de whetesston, val. lx s. ix d.
- (1400) Comp.R.in Frost Hullapp.19 : viij dacr. skapefell, ij bar. litmose, j chipp. whostan.
- (1400) Comp.R.in Frost Hullapp.20 : Pro sale ij pok. madr., xxij bar. beer., v shipp. whetstans panno lineo alleo.
- (1442) Acc.St.Mary Thame in BBOAJ 7117 : A carte of weston fro Hedyndon ex spensys mete & dryng…iiij d.
- (c1450) Rec.Norwich 2235 : j libra de whestones, j d.
- a1475(c1450) Shirley SSecr.(Add 5467)289/8 : Of all metalles and thynges mynerall, that is to say, of gold, of siluer…of wheston, of freston, of milneston.
c
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)89b/a : To þis is most meruelous scief of emathite & þe selfe emathite froted on a whestone [vr. whetestone; Ch.(2): westone] wiþ white of eggez.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(2) (Add 33996)99 : Take fayre whit gynger…& take afeyre lytul wheston [vr. ghestoun] of norwey, and halfe a saucer fol of whit wyn, and set in þat on ende of þe wheston, and holde þat oþer in þin honde, and rubbe þe gynger.
- a1475 Gilb.Angl.(Wel 537)53/10 : Þe beste maner to make poudirs smale for þe iȝen is to rubben hem with þe iuse of þe foreseide herbis, or on a barbours wheston.
d
- (?1418) Let.Bk.in Bk.Lond.E.(Gldh LetBk I & K)95/31 : He, as a fals lyere and disceyuer of þe comune peple, shal stonde here vpon þe pillorye thre market dayes, eche day an hour, wiþ a Weston aboute hys necke in tokene of a Lyere.
- c1450 Dice(1) (Frf 16)174 : This is your hap…That ye may the wheston kepe and bere Though al this londe at ones assembled were.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)230/80 : He lyes for the quetstone; I gyf hym the pryce.
- a1525(?1471) Cov.Leet Bk.372 : Nor that they frohensfurth enbrase eny jure…and at þe ijde defalt to haue the wheston aboute their nekkes, & at þe iijde defalt to stand vppon the pillory etc.
e
- (1187) Feet Fines in Pipe R.Soc.17118 : Willelmus Wetstan.
- (1198) EPNSoc.9 (Dev.) ()339 : Wetestan.
- (1199) EPNSoc.9 (Dev.) ()339 : Wetteston.
- (1238) EPNSoc.9 (Dev.)469 : Whetistan.
- (1244) EPNSoc.9 (Dev.)339 : Wettesteston.
- (1251) EPNSoc.27 (Der.)176 : Whetstan.
- (1292) in Mawer PNNhb.& Dur.214 : Le Whystan.
- (1317) EPNSoc.27 (Der.) ()176 : Wyston.
- (1330) EPNSoc.27 (Der.)176 : Whyston.
- (1418) in Mawer PNNhb.& Dur.()211 : Whestanhope.
- (1437) EPNSoc.18 (Mid.) ()100 : Whetestonesstret.
- (1457) in Mawer PNNhb.& Dur.211 : Westanburnshele.
- (1480) EPNSoc.27 (Der.) ()176 : Queston.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. whetstone.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc. (sense (c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. whetstone of Norway.