hone

See also: Hone, honě, Hōne, and høne

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hoʊn/
• IPA^(key): /həʊn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊn

Etymology 1

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”)).

Noun

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.

Derived terms

• hone slate
• hone stone

Translations

sharpening stone

• Bulgarian: точило (bg) n (točilo), брус (bg) m (brus)
• Catalan: esmoladora f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 磨刀石 (zh) (módāoshí)

• Czech: brousek m, brus m
• Danish: slibesten c
• Dutch: slijpsteen (nl), wetsteen (nl)
• Finnish: liippakivi
• French: pierre à aiguiser (fr)
• German: Schleifstein (de) m, Wetzstein (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἀκόνη f (akónē)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: mola (it) f, cote f
• Japanese: 砥石 (といし, toishi)
• Maltese: sinniena f
• Polish: osełka (pl) f
• Portuguese: mó (pt) f, afiadeira f
• Russian: осело́к (ru) m (oselók), точильный ка́мень m (točilʹnyj kámenʹ), брусо́к (ru) m (brusók)
• Spanish: asperón (es) m, afiladera (es) f, aguzadera f, amoladera f, muela (es) f
• Swedish: bryne (sv) n, brynsten (sv) c
• Tamil: சாணை (ta) (cāṇai)
• Ukrainian: брус (uk) m (brus), осла́ (oslá)

machine tool

• Bulgarian: хонинг машина f (honing mašina)
• Czech: bruska (cs) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: hoonaustyökalu
• Russian: хон (ru) m (xon)

Verb

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.

Translations

to sharpen with a hone

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: точа (bg) (toča)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 礪／砺 (zh) (lì), 砺 (zh) (lì), 磨 (zh) (mó)

• Czech: ostřit impf, naostřit pf, brousit (cs) impf, nabrousit pf
• Danish: skærpe
• Dutch: aanzetten (nl), slijpen (nl), scherp maken
• Esperanto: akrigi
• Finnish: liipata (fi)
• French: aiguiser (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: honen (de), feinschleifen, ziehschleifen
• Hungarian: fen (hu)
• Italian: affilare (it), molare (it), arrotare (it), affinare (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 研ぐ (ja) (とぐ, togu), 研ぎ澄ます (とぎすます, togisumasu)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: oroi, whakaratarata
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: amolar (pt), afiar (pt)
• Russian: отта́чивать (ru) impf (ottáčivatʹ), точи́ть (ru) impf (točítʹ), зата́чивать (ru) impf (zatáčivatʹ)
• Slovak: naostriť, vybrúsiť, nabrúsiť
• Spanish: afilar (es), aguzar (es), amolar (es)
• Swedish: bryna (sv), slipa (sv), skärpa (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Yiddish: שלײַפן (shlayfn)

to produce a precision bore with a hone

• Danish: kalibrere
• Dutch: kalibreren (nl)
• Finnish: hoonata (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: хонингова́ть (ru) impf (xoningovátʹ)

to refine or master a skill

• Czech: pilovat (cs), vybrousit
• Danish: finslibe
• Dutch: vervolmaken (nl), vervolledigen (nl)
• Finnish: hioa (fi)
• French: perfectionner (fr), affiner (fr), affuter (fr)
• German: ausfeilen, ausschleifen
• Italian: affinare (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: doskonalić (pl) impf
• Portuguese: esmerar (pt), aperfeiçoar (pt)
• Russian: отта́чивать (ru) impf (ottáčivatʹ)
• Slovak: vycibriť, cizelovať, zdokonaliť
• Swedish: finslipa (sv)

to make more acute, intense or effective

• Bulgarian: наточвам (bg) (natočvam)
• Danish: forfine
• Dutch: verfijnen (nl)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: hioa (fi)
• Portuguese: esmerar (pt)

See also

• grit
• sandpaper
• steel
• strop
• swarf

Etymology 2

Compare Icelandic word for "a knob".

Noun

hone (plural hones)

1. A kind of swelling in the cheek.

Derived terms

• honewort

Etymology 3

(deprecated template usage) [etyl] French hogner (“to grumble”).

Verb

hone (third-person singular simple present hon, present participle es, simple past and past participle honed)

1. (UK, US, Southern US, dialect) To grumble.
2. (UK, US, Southern US, dialect) To pine, lament, or long.

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

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Japanese

Romanization

hone

1. Rōmaji transcription of ほね

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English hān, from Proto-Germanic *hainō (“whetstone”).

Noun

hone

1. hone (whetstone)

Alternative forms

• hayn, hoone

Descendants

• English: hone
  • → Scots: hone, whoon
• Scots: hone

References

• “hōne, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Probably of Celtic origin. Compare Old Irish úan, ón (“loan, lending”) (Irish uain (“loan, time, leisure”)), Scottish Gaelic on, oin (“loan, laziness”).

Noun

hone (uncountable)

1. (Northern, North Midland) delay, hesitation

Alternative forms

• one, hoyne, hune

Derived terms

• honen

Descendants

• English: hone
• Scots: hune

References

• “họ̄ne, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.