hone

See also: Hone, honě, Hōne, and høne

English

Pronunciation

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

Translations

sharpening stone

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

  Mandarin: 磨刀石 (zh) (módāoshí)

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

  Ancient: ἀκόνη f (akónē), θηγάνη f (thēgánē)

• Italian: mola (it) f, cote f
• Japanese: 砥石 (ja) (といし, toishi)
• Latin: cōs f
• Maltese: sinniena f
• Ottoman Turkish: بلگو (bileği)
• 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)
• Turkish: bileği (tr)
• Ukrainian: брус (uk) m (brus), осла́ (oslá)

machine tool

• Bulgarian: хонинг машина f (honing mašina)
• Czech: bruska (cs) f
• Finnish: hoonaustyökalu, laahintatyökalu
• Russian: хон (ru) m (xon)

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To sharpen with a hone; to whet.
2. (transitive) To use a hone to produce a precision bore.
3. (transitive) To refine or master (a skill).
   • 2023 August 23, David E Norris, “Joseph Locke: a railway injustice...”, in RAIL, number 990, page 56:

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

   • 2011, “Revenge”, CaptainSparklez (lyrics), Doc Exx (music), performed by TryHardNinja, parody of Usher's DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love:

     Huh? Training in your room under the torchlight / Hone that form to get you ready for the big fight

4. To make more acute, intense, or effective.

Derived terms

• hone in (on) (proscribed)

Translations

to sharpen with a hone

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: bülövləmək (az)
• Bulgarian: точа (bg) (toča)
• Catalan: esmolar (ca)
• Cherokee: ᎬᏟᎭ (gvtliha)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 礪／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
• Hebrew: לַחֲרוֹץ (he) (lacharótz)
• Hungarian: fen (hu)
• Ingrian: hiuttaa, kirahuttaa
• Italian: affilare (it), molare (it), arrotare (it), affinare (it)
• Japanese: 研ぐ (ja) (とぐ, togu), 研ぎ澄ます (とぎすます, togisumasu)
• Khmer: សង្កួត (km) (sɑngkuət)
• Maori: oroi, whakaratarata
• Middle English: whetten
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: hone
• 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: mài (vi), dũa
• Yiddish: שלײַפֿן (shlayfn)

to produce a precision bore with a hone

• Danish: kalibrere
• Dutch: kalibreren (nl)
• Finnish: hoonata (fi), laahia
• Russian: хонингова́ть (ru) impf (xoningovátʹ)

to refine or master a skill

• Catalan: esmolar (ca)
• 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)
• Polish: doskonalić (pl) impf
• Portuguese: esmerar (pt), aperfeiçoar (pt)
• Russian: отта́чивать (ru) impf (ottáčivatʹ)
• Slovak: vycibriť, cizelovať, zdokonaliť
• Spanish: perfeccionar (es), afinar (es), refinar (es), aguzar (es), agudizar (es)
• Swedish: finslipa (sv), finputsa (sv)

to make more acute, intense or effective

• Bulgarian: наточвам (bg) (natočvam)
• Danish: forfine
• Dutch: verfijnen (nl)
• Finnish: hioa (fi)
• German: verfeinern (de)
• Portuguese: esmerar (pt)
• Spanish: agudizar (es), aguzar (es)

See also

• grit
• sandpaper
• steel
• strop
• swarf

Etymology 2

Cognate with Icelandic hnúður. Distantly related to knot.

Noun

hone (plural hones)

1. A kind of swelling in the cheek.

Derived terms

• honewort

Etymology 3

French hogner (“to grumble”), which could be a cross of honnir (“to disgrace, shame”) and grogner (“to grunt”).

Verb

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

1. (UK, US, Southern US, dialect, intransitive) To grumble.
   • c. 1515–1516, published 1568, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c.:

     Such tunges ſhuld be torne out by the harde rootes,
     Hoyning like hogges that groynis and wrotes.

2. (UK, US, Southern US, dialect) To pine, lament, or long.
   • 1823, Elia [pseudonym; Charles Lamb], Elia. Essays which have Appeared under that Signature in The London Magazine, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC:

     He lies pitying himself, honing and moaning to himself

Etymology 4

Interjection

hone

1. Synonym of alas Used to express sorrow, or grief
   • 1836, Joanna Baillie, Witchcraft, Act 4, page 141

     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!

Cimbrian

Alternative forms

• huunig (Sette Comuni)

Etymology

From Middle High German honec, honic, from Old High German honag, honeg, from Proto-West Germanic *hunag, from Proto-Germanic *hunagą. Cognate with German Honig, English honey.

Noun

hone m

1. (Luserna) honey

   süaz azpi dar hone ― as sweet as honey

References

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Japanese

Romanization

hone

1. Rōmaji transcription of ほね

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English hān, from Proto-West Germanic *hainu, from Proto-Germanic *hainō (“whetstone”). The final vowel is generalised from the Old English inflected forms.

Alternative forms

• hayn, hoone

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɔːn(ə)/

Noun

hone

1. hone (whetstone)

Descendants

• English: hone
  • → Scots: hone, whoon

References

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

Etymology 2

Noun

hone

1. Alternative form of hon

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

hone (imperative hon, present tense honer, preterite and past participle hona or honet)

1. (transitive) polish, hone

Yola

Noun

hone

1. Alternative form of hoane
   • 1867, OBSERVATIONS BY THE EDITOR:

     F. brone, eelone, hone, lone, sthone, sthrone.

     E. brand, island, hand, land, stand, strand.

   • 1867, “DR. RUSSELL ON THE INHABITANTS AND DIALECT OF THE BARONY OF FORTH”, in APPENDIX, page 131:

     Wathere proceeds to tell that the game was ”was jist ing our hone“

     Walter proceeds to tell that the game was ”was just in our hand”

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 14