burnish

[bur-nish]

verb (used with object)

1. to polish (a surface) by friction.

   Synonyms: shine, buff

2. to make smooth and bright.

3. Engraving.,  to flatten and enlarge the dots of (a halftone) by rubbing with a tool.

noun

1. gloss; brightness; luster.

   the burnish of brass andirons.

burnish

/ ˈbɜːnɪʃ /

verb

1. to make or become shiny or smooth by friction; polish

noun

1. a shiny finish; lustre

Other Word Forms

• burnishable adjective
• burnishment noun
• unburnished adjective
• burnisher noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of burnish¹

1275–1325; Middle English burnissh < Anglo-French burniss-, Middle French bruniss- (long stem of burnir, brunir to darken, polish), equivalent to brun- brown + -iss- -ish ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of burnish¹

C14 burnischen , from Old French brunir to make brown, from brun _brown

Example Sentences

They run to burnish their personal brands and be an Instagram star.

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It first needs to find $25 billion from "sponsor" governments wanting to burnish their conservation credentials and willing to take the first hit should the fund suffer losses.

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The school also worked to burnish its reputation in harder sciences, building a molecular engineering program from scratch and a 10-story state-of-the-art biomedical research center.

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More likely, they aim to attract tourists, spur economic growth, and burnish their reputations as fun and enlightened places.

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Shares in Gucci-owner Kering gained more ground Thursday after sales at the fashion house beat expectations in the most recent quarter, lifting revenue at the parent group and burnishing hopes of a sustained turnaround.

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