burnish

[ bur-nish ]

/ ˈbɜr nɪʃ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR burnish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

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.

noun

gloss; brightness; luster: the burnish of brass andirons.

Words nearby burnish

burning, burning bush, burning ghat, burning glass, burning question, burnish, burnisher, burnley, burnoose, burnous, burnout

Origin of burnish

1275–1325; Middle English burnissh < Anglo-French burniss-, Middle French bruniss- (long stem of burnir, brunir to darken, polish), equivalent to brun- brown + -iss- -ish²

SYNONYMS FOR burnish

1 buff, shine.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR burnish ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM burnish

bur·nish·a·ble, adjectivebur·nish·ment, nounun·bur·nished, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for burnish

Sandoval has also managed to burnish his image with a patina of integrity in the scandal-scarred Silver State.
Nevada Guv Faces Fans and Foes in Reelection|Lloyd Green|March 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This means that even women who are not employed in factories will get the chance to burnish career-building skills.
Women: The World’s Best Investment|A Daily Beast Sponsor|February 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At this point, it is the only way for the Brothers to burnish their revolutionary credentials.
Morsi's Miscalculation|Steven Cook|November 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
For Palin, of course, Israel also offers a chance to burnish her famously weak foreign policy credentials.
What's Palin Doing in Israel?|Dan Ephron|March 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST

In 1961, Kennedy took a Latin American trip to burnish credentials for a 1962 Senate bid.
Inside the Kennedy Death Threats|Adam Clymer|June 14, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Sainton, more annoyed than he cared to show, drew his long neglected sword and began to burnish it affectionately.
The Great Mogul|Louis Tracy
In the early spring, both parties began to burnish their armor for the first encounter in New York.
Union and Democracy|Allen Johnson
It became her perfectly, bringing out all the delicate, flower-like tints of her face and the gloss and burnish of her hair.
Anne Of Avonlea|Lucy Maud Montgomery
They could burnish gold and it stays as bright as when it was first applied to the leaves, even after seven centuries.
Education: How Old The New|James J. Walsh
First burnish the gold laid on slightly, afterwards continue with greater force.
The Progress of the Marbling Art|Josef Halfer

British Dictionary definitions for burnish

burnish

/ (ˈbɜːnɪʃ) /

verb

to make or become shiny or smooth by friction; polish

noun

a shiny finish; lustre

Derived forms of burnish

burnishable, adjectiveburnisher, noun

Word Origin for burnish

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

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

burnish

verb (used with object)

noun

Words related to burnish

Words nearby burnish

Origin of burnish

SYNONYMS FOR burnish

OTHER WORDS FROM burnish

Examples from the Web for burnish

British Dictionary definitions for burnish

verb

noun

Derived forms of burnish

Word Origin for burnish