Hone

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -əʊn

From Middle English hon ‘whetstone’, from Old English hān, from Proto-Germanic *hainō (compare Dutch heen, Norwegian hein), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱeh₃i- ‘to sharpen’ (compare Greek κώνος ‘cone’, Persian sān ‘whetstone’).

Full definition of hone

Noun

1. A sharpening stone composed of extra-fine grit used for removing the burr or curl from the blade of a razor or some other edge tool.
2. A machine tool used in the manufacture of precision bores.

Derived terms

• hone slate
• hone stone

Verb

1. To sharpen with a hone.
2. To use a hone to produce a precision bore.
3. To refine or master (a skill).
4. To make more acute, intense, or effective.
5. To pine; to lament; to long.

Compare Icelandic word for "a knob".

Noun

1. A kind of swelling in the cheek.

Derived terms

• honewort