hone

¹

[ hohn ]

verb (used with object)

, honed, hon·ing.

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, hon·ing.

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 /

verb

1. often foll byfor or after to yearn or pine
2. to moan or grieve

hone

²

/ 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

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 Words From

• hon·er 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

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

Origin of hone²

Old English hān stone; related to Old Norse hein

Example Sentences

Workers here rehearse and hone key stages of seat assembly, which helps them go faster.

From BBC

Malcomb was excited to get back to film and TV, and to hone his craft with the Hallmark stars who show up in each episode.

From Los Angeles Times

Not only must successful blood-suckers be able to find a compatible vertebrate, they need to have evolved senses that let them hone in on their targets.

From Salon

I really hone in on calling it a living and breathing evolution because it started as a music blog.

From Los Angeles Times

"If we just look at the ocean and just hone in on Great Barrier Reef - which is a World Heritage area - it has seen unprecedented coral bleaching events in last five years. That's devastating when you look at biodiversity and the role the Great Barrier Reef has in combating climate change."

From BBC

Related Words

• whet