burnish
to polish (a surface) by friction.
to make smooth and bright.
Engraving. to flatten and enlarge the dots of (a halftone) by rubbing with a tool.
gloss; brightness; luster: the burnish of brass andirons.
Origin of burnish
1Other words for burnish
Other words from burnish
- bur·nish·a·ble, adjective
- bur·nish·ment, noun
- un·bur·nished, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use burnish in a sentence
As a kid, you'd admired pictures of knights in burnished suits of armor.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq | Nathan Bradley Bethea | August 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe can never know how much of this was innate in him, or how much of was shaped and burnished in a dark, solitary cell.
Full Text of President Obama's Eulogy for Nelson Mandela | The Daily Beast | December 10, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThere was a once-grand dining room with mirrored walls and burnished chandeliers.
Welcome to Woolwich, Where English Terrorists Say Sorry While They Murder | Peter Pomerantsev | May 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Florida senator further burnished his presidential cred on a visit to Israel this week.
Marco Rubio Really Loves Israel and Has Pictures to Prove It | Eli Lake | February 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTMcQueen's connection to the working class was a truth burnished by mythology.
They carried spears that flashed and glittered in the sun, as did their burnished shields and helmets.
The Devil-Tree of El Dorado | Frank AubreyThen again she brushed and brushed, until the ripply mass shone like unto burnished gold.
Maid Sally | Harriet A. CheeverTik-tok moved by clockwork, and was made all of burnished copper.
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz | L. Frank BaumIn places it was wholly metal, smooth and shining like burnished copper.
The Fire People | Ray CummingsThe helmet, though burnished and adorned with a horse's tail, had the unmistakable outlines of a copper kettle.
The Landloper | Holman Day
British Dictionary definitions for burnish
/ (ˈbɜːnɪʃ) /
to make or become shiny or smooth by friction; polish
a shiny finish; lustre
Origin of burnish
1Derived forms of burnish
- burnishable, adjective
- burnisher, noun
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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