polish

¹

[pol-ish]

verb (used with object)

1. to make smooth and glossy, especially by rubbing or friction.

   to polish a brass doorknob.

   Synonyms: smooth, buff, burnish, brighten, shine

2. to render finished, refined, or elegant.

   His speech needs polishing.

verb (used without object)

1. to become smooth and glossy through polishing.

   a flooring that polishes easily.

2. Archaic.,  to become refined or elegant.

noun

1. a substance used to give smoothness or gloss.

   shoe polish.

2. the act of polishing.

3. state of being polished.

4. smoothness and gloss of surface.

   Synonyms: gleam, shine

5. superiority of manner or execution; refinement; elegance.

   the polish of a professional singer.

verb phrase

1. polish up,  to improve; refine.

   She took lessons to polish up her speech.

2. polish off

   1. to finish or dispose of quickly.

      They polished off a gallon of ice cream between them.

   2. to subdue or get rid of someone.

      The fighter polished off his opponent in the first round.

Polish

²

[poh-lish]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Poland, its inhabitants, or their language.

noun

1. a Slavic language, the principal language of Poland. Pol

polish

¹

/ ˈpɒlɪʃ /

verb

1. to make or become smooth and shiny by rubbing, esp with wax or an abrasive

2. (tr) to make perfect or complete

3. to make or become elegant or refined

noun

1. a finish or gloss

2. the act of polishing or the condition of having been polished

3. a substance used to produce a smooth and shiny, often protective surface

4. elegance or refinement, esp in style, manner, etc

Polish

²

/ ˈpəʊlɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Poland, its people, or their language

noun

1. the official language of Poland, belonging to the West Slavonic branch of the Indo-European family

Other Word Forms

• polisher noun
• polishable adjective
• depolish verb (used with object)
• interpolish verb (used with object)
• overpolish verb (used with object)
• prepolish noun
• repolish verb
• anti-Polish noun
• non-Polish adjective
• pre-Polish adjective
• pro-Polish adjective
• pseudo-Polish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of polish¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English polishen, from Middle French poliss-, long stem of polir, from Latin polīre “to polish”; -ish ²

Origin of polish²

First recorded in 1695–1705; Pole + -ish ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of polish¹

C13 polis, from Old French polir, from Latin polīre to polish

Idioms and Phrases

• spit and polish

Synonym Study

Polish, gloss, luster, sheen refer to a smooth, shining, or bright surface from which light is reflected. Polish suggests the smooth, bright reflection often produced by friction: rubbed to a high polish. Gloss suggests a superficial, hard smoothness characteristic of lacquered, varnished, or enameled surfaces: a gloss on oilcloth, on paper. Luster denotes the characteristic quality of the light reflected from the surfaces of certain materials (pearls, silk, wax, freshly cut metals, etc.): a pearly luster. Sheen, sometimes poetical, suggests a glistening brightness such as that reflected from the surface of silk or velvet, or from furniture oiled and hand-polished: a rich velvety sheen.

Example Sentences

Several also mentioned a creeping urban decay, and that the city needs a bit of a polish.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She said she had polished the urn daily and "whoever was in there, was loved like they were my own baby."

Read more on BBC

More than 100 of Cheever’s stories appeared in the New Yorker from the 1940s into the 1980s, making him a sort of ambassador for that magazine’s brand of polished, elliptical fiction.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At first, it took me about 10 days to polish off a bottle of vodka.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Europium is crucial for television screens, cerium is used for polishing glass and refining oil, lanthanum makes a car's catalytic converters operate -- the list of uses in today's economy is virtually endless.

Read more on Barron's