hone

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   sharpen with a hone

   hone a knife

2. 2
   verb

   To refine (a skill especially) by learning.

   He also honed the procedure known as cut and fill - whereby the spoil from railway cuttings was used to build up embankments.

3. 3
   verb

   To grumble.

   Such tunges ſhuld be torne out by the harde rootes,

4. 4
   verb

   To pine, lament, or long.

   He lies pitying himself, honing and moaning to himself

5. 5
   intj

   Synonym of alas Used to express sorrow, or grief

   Oh, hone! oh, hone! miserable wretch that I am! Do ye mak confession for me, Sir, and I'll say 't after you, as weel as I dow. Oh, hone! oh, hone!

6. 6
   noun

   a whetstone made of fine gritstone

7. 7
   verb

   make perfect or complete

8. 8
   noun

   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.

Etymology

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”)).