Dictionary.com

burnish

[ bur-nish ]
/ ˈbɜr nɪʃ /
See synonyms for: burnish / burnished 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.

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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

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. 2021

Words related to burnish

shine, rub, glaze, furbish, gloss, smooth, wax, glance, luster, sheen, buff, patina

Example sentences from the Web for burnish

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