hone

¹

[hohn]

verb (used with object)

honed, honing 

1. to make more acute or effective; improve; perfect.

   to hone one's skills.

2. to sharpen on a whetstone with a fine, compact texture.

   to hone a carving knife.

3. to enlarge or finish (a hole) using a precision tool with a mechanically rotated abrasive tip.

noun

1. a whetstone of fine, compact texture for sharpening razors and other cutting tools.

2. a precision tool with a mechanically rotated abrasive tip, for enlarging holes to precise dimensions.

hone

²

[hohn]

verb (used without object)

honed, honing 

1. South Midland and Southern U.S.,  to yearn; long.

   to hone for the farm life; to hone after peach pie.

2. Archaic.,  to moan and groan.

hone

¹

/ həʊn /

noun

1. a fine whetstone, esp for sharpening razors

2. a tool consisting of a number of fine abrasive slips held in a machine head, rotated and reciprocated to impart a smooth finish to cylinder bores, etc

verb

1. (tr) to sharpen or polish with or as if with a hone

hone

²

/ həʊn /

verb

1. to yearn or pine

2. to moan or grieve

Usage

Hone is sometimes wrongly used where home is meant: this device makes it easier to home in on (not hone in on ) the target

Other Word Forms

• honer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hone¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English noun hone, hain “whetstone”; Old English hān “stone, boundary stone, rock”; cognate with Old Norse hein “hone”; akin to cone

Origin of hone²

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Anglo-French honer (unrecorded); Old French hogner “to grumble, growl,” from Germanic; compare Old Saxon hōnian “to abuse, revile”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hone¹

Old English hān stone; related to Old Norse hein

Origin of hone²

C17: from Old French hogner to growl, probably of Germanic origin; compare Old High German hōnen to revile

Example Sentences

The US may still have an edge, honed over years and through its involvement in conflicts across the world, but there is no doubt that China is building a military to rival that.

From BBC

It honed the lower body and core strength that drove his powerful delivery — a behind-the-scenes bedrock in his rise to becoming a three-time Cy Young Award winner and generationally dominant left-handed star.

From Los Angeles Times

Professional chefs learn techniques honed in the heat of restaurant kitchens that most home cooks wouldn’t naturally pick up.

From Salon

She spent years honing her style and fighting sceptical record labels before her campy, singalong anthems found their intended audience.

From BBC

Talk to those who have known Eze since he was a boy honing his skills in a small yellow cage in Greenwich and there is immense pride at how far he has come.

From BBC

Related Words

• whet