| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| hone1 |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  h n |
| NOUN: | 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. | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | Inflected forms: 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. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, from Old English h n, stone. See k- in Appendix I. Hone in, alteration of home in.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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