Whetstone

The first major synthetic benchmark program, intended to be representative for numerical (floating-point intensive) programming. It is based on statistics gathered by Brian Wichmann at the National Physical Laboratory in England, using an Algol 60 compiler which translated Algol into instructions for the imaginary Whetstone machine. The compilation system was named after the small town of Whetstone outside the City of Leicester, England, where it was designed.

The later dhrystone benchmark was a pun on Whetstone.

Source code: C (ftp://netlib.att.com/netlib/benchmark/whetstonec.Z), single precision Fortran (ftp://netlib.att.com:/netlib/benchmark/whetstones.Z), double precision Fortran (ftp://netlib.att.com:/netlib/benchmark/whetstoned.Z).

["A Synthetic Benchmark", H.J. Curnow and B.A. Wichmann, The Computer Journal, 19,1 (1976), pp. 43-49].

(1994-11-14)

Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)
 

Whetstone, AZ -- U.S. Census Designated Place in Arizona
Population (2000): 2354
Housing Units (2000): 1056
Land area (2000): 11.801071 sq. miles (30.564633 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 11.801071 sq. miles (30.564633 sq. km)
FIPS code: 82155
Located within: Arizona (AZ), FIPS 04
Location: 31.703917 N, 110.347996 W
ZIP Codes (1990):
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords: Whetstone, AZ Whetstone

Source: U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000)
 

Whetstone \Whet"stone`\, n. [AS. hwetst[=a]n.]

A piece of stone, natural or artificial, used for whetting, or sharpening, edge tools. [1913 Webster]

The dullness of the fools is the whetstone of the wits. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Diligence is to the understanding as the whetstone to the razor. --South. [1913 Webster]

Note: Some whetstones are used dry, others are moistened with water, or lubricated with oil. [1913 Webster]

To give the whetstone, to give a premium for extravagance in falsehood. [Obs.]

[1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

whetstone

Source: WordNet (r) 2.0
 

Whetstone \Whet"stone`\, n. [AS. hwetst[=a]n.]

A piece of stone, natural or artificial, used for whetting, or sharpening, edge tools.

The dullness of the fools is the whetstone of the wits. --Shak.

Diligence is to the understanding as the whetstone to the razor. --South.

Note: Some whetstones are used dry, others are moistened with water, or lubricated with oil.

To give the whetstone, to give a premium for extravagance in falsehood. [Obs.]

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)