faint vs whet

faint

noun
  • The act of fainting, syncope. 

  • The state of one who has fainted; a swoon. 

verb
  • To decay; to disappear; to vanish. 

  • To lose consciousness through a lack of oxygen or nutrients to the brain, usually as a result of suddenly reduced blood flow (may be caused by emotional trauma, loss of blood or various medical conditions). 

  • To lose courage or spirit; to become depressed or despondent. 

adj
  • Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to lose consciousness 

  • Performed, done, or acted, weakly; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy 

  • Slight; minimal. 

  • Barely perceptible; not bright, or loud, or sharp 

  • Lacking courage, spirit, or energy; cowardly; dejected 

whet

noun
  • The act of whetting something. 

  • That which whets or sharpens; especially, an appetizer. 

verb
  • To hone or rub on with some substance, as a piece of stone, for the purpose of sharpening – see whetstone. 

  • To stimulate or make more keen. 

How often have the words faint and whet occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )