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smooth

[smooth] /smuð/
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adjective, smoother, smoothest.
1.
free from projections or unevenness of surface; not rough:
smooth wood; a smooth road.
2.
generally flat or unruffled, as a calm sea.
3.
free from hairs or a hairy growth:
a smooth cheek.
4.
of uniform consistency; free from lumps, as a batter, sauce, etc.
5.
free from or proceeding without abrupt curves, bends, etc.:
a smooth ride.
6.
allowing or having an even, uninterrupted movement or flow:
smooth driving.
7.
easy and uniform, as motion or the working of a machine.
8.
having projections worn away:
a smooth tire casing.
9.
free from hindrances or difficulties:
a smooth day at the office.
10.
noting a metal file having the minimum commercial grade of coarseness for a single-cut file.
Compare dead-smooth.
11.
undisturbed, tranquil, or equable, as the feelings, temper, etc.; serene:
a smooth disposition.
12.
elegant, easy, or polished:
smooth manners.
13.
ingratiatingly polite or suave:
That salesman is a smooth talker.
14.
free from harshness, sharpness, or bite; bland or mellow, as cheese or wine.
15.
not harsh to the ear, as sound:
the smooth music of a ballroom dance band.
16.
Phonetics. without aspiration.
adverb
17.
in a smooth manner; smoothly.
verb (used with object)
18.
to make smooth of surface, as by scraping, planing, or pressing.
19.
to remove (projections, ridges, wrinkles, etc.) in making something smooth (often followed by away or out).
20.
to free from difficulties.
21.
to remove (obstacles) from a path (often followed by away).
22.
to make more polished, elegant, or agreeable, as wording or manners.
23.
to tranquilize, calm, or soothe (a person, the feelings, etc.).
24.
Mathematics. to simplify (an expression) by substituting approximate or certain known values for the variables.
noun
25.
act of smoothing:
She adjusted the folds with a smooth of her hand.
26.
something that is smooth; a smooth part or place:
through the rough and the smooth.
Verb phrases
27.
smooth over, to make seem less severe, disagreeable, or irreconcilable; allay; mitigate:
He smoothed over my disappointment with kind words.
Origin of smooth
Middle English
Old English
late Old English
1050
before 1050; (adj.) Middle English smothe, late Old English smōth; compare Middle English smethe, Old English smēthe smooth; cognate with Old Saxon smōthi; (v.) late Middle English smothen, derivative of the adj.; replacing Middle English smethen, Old English smēth(i)an
Related forms
smoothable, adjective
smoother, noun
smoothly, adverb
smoothness, noun
oversmooth, adjective
oversmoothly, adverb
oversmoothness, noun
presmooth, verb (used with object)
resmooth, verb (used with object)
unsmooth, adjective
unsmoothly, adverb
unsmoothness, noun
unsmoothed, adjective
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
1. glossy, polished, even, flat. See level.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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Examples from the Web for smoothness
Contemporary Examples
Historical Examples

  • There are still some remnants of Ciceronian smoothness, but these are evidently survivals.

    A History of Roman Literature Harold North Fowler

  • Then a wing is carved off, and lastly a leg, which he polishes to the smoothness of a drumstick.

    The Death Shot Mayne Reid

  • When a mistake occurred, the smoothness would be interrupted as though a small knot was passing out through the forehead.

    Forty Years Among the Indians Daniel W. Jones

  • Cody's planes are noted for their neatness, rigidity and smoothness.

    Flying Machines W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell

  • Her skin was of the hue and smoothness of crudded cream, where not sunburnt to the brown of the wallflower.

    Pharais and The Mountain Lovers Fiona Macleod

  • They praised his eyes' alertness, the smoothness of his muscles.

    Buried Cities, Part 2 Jennie Hall

  • The heat and smoothness of the sole plate smoothes the wrinkles.

    Electricity for the 4-H Scientist Eric B. Wilson

  • smoothness, color and thickness are other attributes of the bark to be noted.

    Manual of American Grape-Growing U. P. Hedrick
British Dictionary definitions for smoothness

smooth

/smuːð/
adjective
1.
resting in the same plane; without bends or irregularities
2.
silky to the touch: smooth velvet
3.
lacking roughness of surface; flat
4.
tranquil or unruffled: smooth temper
5.
lacking obstructions or difficulties
6.
  1. suave or persuasive, esp as suggestive of insincerity
  2. (in combination): smooth-tongued
7.
(of the skin) free from hair
8.
of uniform consistency: smooth batter
9.
not erratic; free from jolts: smooth driving
10.
not harsh or astringent: a smooth wine
11.
having all projections worn away: smooth tyres
12.
(maths) (of a curve) differentiable at every point
13.
(phonetics) without preliminary or simultaneous aspiration
14.
gentle to the ear; flowing
15.
(physics) (of a plane, surface, etc) regarded as being frictionless
adverb
16.
in a calm or even manner; smoothly
verb (mainly transitive)
17.
(also intransitive) often foll by down. to make or become flattened or without roughness or obstructions
18.
often foll by out or away. to take or rub (away) in order to make smooth: she smoothed out the creases in her dress
19.
to make calm; soothe
20.
to make easier: smooth his path
21.
(electrical engineering) to remove alternating current ripple from the output of a direct current power supply
22.
(obsolete) to make more polished or refined
noun
23.
the smooth part of something
24.
the act of smoothing
25.
(tennis, squash, badminton) the side of a racket on which the binding strings form a continuous line Compare rough (sense 27)
See also smooth over
Derived Forms
smoothable, adjective
smoother, noun
smoothly, adverb
smoothness, noun
Word Origin
Old English smōth; related to Old Saxon māthmundi gentle-minded, smōthi smooth
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for smoothness
n.

late 14c., "smoothness, evenness," from smooth (adj.) + -ness.

smooth

adj.

Old English smoð "smooth, serene, calm," variant of smeðe "free from roughness, not harsh, polished; soft; suave; agreeable," of unknown origin and with no known cognates. Of words, looks, "pleasant, polite, sincere" late 14c., but later "flattering, insinuating" (mid-15c.). Slang meaning "superior, classy, clever" is attested from 1893. Sense of "stylish" is from 1922.

Smooth-bore in reference to guns is from 1812. smooth talk (v.) is recorded from 1950. A 1599 dictionary has smoothboots "a flatterer, a faire spoken man, a cunning tongued fellow." The usual Old English form was smeðe, and there is a dialectal smeeth found in places names, e.g. Smithfield, Smedley.

v.

late Old English smoþ "to make smooth," replacing smeðan "to smooth, soften, polish; appease, soothe;" smeðian "smoothen, become smooth," from the source of smooth (adj.). Meaning "to make smooth" is c.1200. Related: Smoothed; smoothing. Middle English also had a verb form smoothen (mid-14c.).

smooth

v.

late Old English smoþ "to make smooth," replacing smeðan "to smooth, soften, polish; appease, soothe;" smeðian "smoothen, become smooth," from the source of smooth (adj.). Meaning "to make smooth" is c.1200. Related: Smoothed; smoothing. Middle English also had a verb form smoothen (mid-14c.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang definitions & phrases for smoothness

smooth

adjective

Excellent; pleasing; attractive: Boy, she was smooth (1893+ Students)

Related Terms

jump smooth

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Idioms and Phrases with smoothness

smooth

also see:
take the rough with the smooth
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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15
16
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