polish
See also: Polish
English
Etymology
From Middle English polishen, from Old French poliss-, stem of some of the conjugated forms of polir, from Latin polīre (“to polish, make smooth”).
Pronunciation
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- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: pä'lĭsh, IPA(key): /ˈpɑlɪʃ/
Audio (US): (file)
Noun
polish (countable and uncountable, plural polishes)
- A substance used to polish.
- A good silver polish will remove tarnish easily.
- Cleanliness; smoothness, shininess.
- The floor was waxed to a high polish.
- Refinement; cleanliness in performance or presentation.
- The lecturer showed a lot of polish at his last talk.
Synonyms
- (substance): wax
- (smoothness, shininess): finish, sheen, shine, shininess, smoothness
- (cleanliness in performance or presentation): class, elegance, panache, refinement, style
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
substance used to polish
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cleanliness; smoothness; shininess
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cleanliness in performance or presentation
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
See also
- apple-polish
- French polish
- furniture polish
- glacial polish
- nail polish
- polish remover
- shoe polish
- spit and polish
- stove polish
- varnish polish
Verb
polish (third-person singular simple present polishes, present participle polishing, simple past and past participle polished)
- (transitive) To shine; to make a surface very smooth or shiny by rubbing, cleaning, or grinding.
- He polished up the chrome until it gleamed.
- (transitive) To refine; remove imperfections from.
- The band has polished its performance since the last concert.
- 1699, William Temple, Heads designed for an essay on conversations
- Study gives strength to the mind; conversation, grace: the first apt to give stiffness, the other suppleness: one gives substance and form to the statue, the other polishes it.
- (transitive) To apply shoe polish to shoes.
- (intransitive) To become smooth, as from friction; to receive a gloss; to take a smooth and glossy surface.
- Steel polishes well.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)
- (transitive) To refine; to wear off the rudeness, coarseness, or rusticity of; to make elegant and polite.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Milton to this entry?)
Synonyms
- (to make smooth and shiny by rubbing): wax, shine, buff, furbish, burnish, smooth, bone
- (refine): hone, perfect, refine
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
make a surface smooth or shiny
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to refine; improve imperfections from
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to apply shoe polish
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
See also
Further reading
- “polish”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “polish”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “polish”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English intransitive verbs
- Requests for quotations/Francis Bacon
- Requests for quotations/Milton
- English heteronyms
- en:Hygiene