hone

• (General American) IPA^(key): /hoʊn/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /həʊn/

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• 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 Ancient Greek κῶνος (kônos, “cone”), Persian سان‎ (sân, “whetstone”)).

hone (plural hones)

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.

• hone slate
• hone stone

hone (third-person singular simple present hones, present participle honing, simple past and past participle honed)

1. To sharpen with a hone; to whet.
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.

• grit
• sandpaper
• steel
• strop
• swarf

Compare Icelandic word for "a knob".

hone (plural hones)

1. A kind of swelling in the cheek.

• honewort

French hogner (“to grumble”).

hone (third-person singular simple present hones, present participle honing, simple past and past participle honed)

1. (Britain, US, Southern US, dialectal) To grumble.
2. (Britain, US, Southern US, dialectal) To pine, lament, or long.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Lamb to this entry?)

hone

1. Rōmaji transcription of ほね