hone

hone ¹  (hn)

n.

1. A fine-grained whetstone for giving a keen edge to a cutting tool.

2. A tool with a rotating abrasive tip for enlarging holes to precise dimensions.

tr.v. honed, hon·ing, hones

1. To sharpen on a fine-grained whetstone.

2. To perfect or make more intense or effective: a speaker who honed her delivery by long practice.

Phrasal Verb:

hone in

1. To move or advance toward a target or goal: The missiles honed in on the military installation.

2. To direct one's attention; focus: The lawyer honed in on the gist of the plaintiff's testimony.

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[Middle English, from Old English hn, stone; see k- in Indo-European roots. Hone in, alteration of home in.]

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hone ²  (hn)

intr.v. honed, hon·ing, hones Informal

1. To whine or moan.

2. To hanker; yearn.

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[Obsolete French hoigner, from Old French, perhaps from hon, cry of discontent.]

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hone¹

n

1. (Engineering / Tools) a fine whetstone, esp for sharpening razors

2. (Engineering / Tools) 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.

vb

(Engineering / Mechanical Engineering) (tr) to sharpen or polish with or as if with a hone

[Old English hān stone; related to Old Norse hein]

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

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hone²

vb (intr) Dialect

1. (often foll by for or after) to yearn or pine

2. to moan or grieve

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

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	hone - a whetstone made of fine gritstone; used for sharpening razors whetstone - a flat stone for sharpening edged tools or knives
Verb	1.	hone - sharpen with a hone; "hone a knife" sharpen - make sharp or sharper; "sharpen the knives" set - give a fine, sharp edge to a knife or razor
	2.	hone - make perfect or complete; "perfect your French in Paris!" perfect optimise, optimize - make optimal; get the most out of; use best; "optimize your resources" ameliorate, improve, meliorate, amend, better - to make better; "The editor improved the manuscript with his changes" polish up, brush up, round off, polish, round - bring to a highly developed, finished, or refined state; "polish your social manners"

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hone

verb

1. improve, better, polish, enhance, upgrade, refine, sharpen, augment, help honing the skills of senior managers

2. sharpen, point, grind, edge, file, polish, whet, strop four grinding wheels for honing fine-edged tools

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.

Translations

hone [həʊn]

A. VT → afilar

B. N → piedra f de afilar

hone [ˈhəʊn]

vt

[+ skill, technique] → affûter, aiguiser

[+ blade, tool] → affûter, aiguiser

n → pierre f à aiguiser

hone

n → Schleifstein m, → Wetzstein m

vt blade → schleifen; (fig) person → aufbauen; (as a successor) → heranziehen; skills → vervollkommnen

hone [həʊn] vt (sharpen) → affilare; (fig) → affinare

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hone [həʊn] vt (sharpen) → affilare; (fig) → affinare