polish

[ pol-ish ]

/ ˈpɒl ɪʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR polish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to make smooth and glossy, especially by rubbing or friction: to polish a brass doorknob.

to render finished, refined, or elegant: His speech needs polishing.

verb (used without object)

to become smooth and glossy through polishing: a flooring that polishes easily.

Archaic. to become refined or elegant.

noun

a substance used to give smoothness or gloss: shoe polish.

the act of polishing.

state of being polished.

smoothness and gloss of surface.

superiority of manner or execution; refinement; elegance: the polish of a professional singer.

Verb Phrases

polish off, Informal.

to finish or dispose of quickly: They polished off a gallon of ice cream between them.
to subdue or get rid of someone: The fighter polished off his opponent in the first round.

polish up, to improve; refine: She took lessons to polish up her speech.

Nearby words

poliovirus, poliovirus hominis, poliovirus vaccine, polis, polisario, polish, polish corridor, polish lowland sheepdog, polish notation, polish off, polish people's republic

Origin of polish

1250–1300; Middle English polishen < Middle French poliss-, long stem of polir < Latin polīre to polish; see -ish²

SYNONYMS FOR polish

1 shine, brighten, burnish, buff, smooth.

8 shine, gleam. 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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR polish ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

pol·ish·er, nounde·pol·ish, verb (used with object)in·ter·pol·ish, verb (used with object)o·ver·pol·ish, verb (used with object)

pre·pol·ish, noun, verb (used with object)re·pol·ish, verb, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for polisher

If paper is employed, care must be taken that the polisher is about the same size as the object to be polished.
On Laboratory Arts|Richard Threlfall
A stone serves for a mallet, and a piece of fish-skin for a polisher.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16|Robert Kerr
Fage is to be shown up as soon as he comes,' he said, not addressing himself directly to the polisher.
The Immortal|Alphonse Daudet
He wrote verses with elegance in French, Spanish and Italian, and was a polisher of his native language in a barbarous age.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

On Wednesday mornings the polisher opened the door, because Corentine was dressing her mistress.
The Immortal|Alphonse Daudet

British Dictionary definitions for polisher (1 of 2)

polish

/ (ˈpɒlɪʃ) /

verb

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

(tr) to make perfect or complete

to make or become elegant or refined

noun

a finish or gloss

the act of polishing or the condition of having been polished

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

elegance or refinement, esp in style, manner, etc

Word Origin for polish

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

British Dictionary definitions for polisher (2 of 2)

Polish

/ (ˈpəʊlɪʃ) /

adjective

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

noun

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

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

Word Origin and History for polisher (1 of 3)

polish

early 14c., polischen "make smooth," from Old French poliss-, present participle stem of polir (12c.) "to polish, decorate, see to one's appearance," from Latin polire "to polish, make smooth; decorate, embellish;" figuratively "refine, improve," said to be from Proto-Indo-European *pel- "to thrust, strike, drive" (via the notion of fulling cloth). The sense of "free from coarseness, to refine" first recorded in English mid-14c. Related: Polished; polishing. Slang polish off "finish" is 1837, from notion of applying a coat of polish being the final step in a piece of work.

Word Origin and History for polisher (1 of 3)

polish

1590s, "absence of coarseness," from polish (v.). From 1704 as "act of polishing;" 1819 as "substance used in polishing."

Word Origin and History for polisher (2 of 3)

Polish

adj.

1670s, from Pole + -ish. Related: Polishness. Polish-American attested from 1898.

Idioms and Phrases with polisher

polish

In addition to the idioms beginning with polish

polish off
polish the apple

also see:

spit and polish

polish

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of polish

Examples from the Web for polisher

British Dictionary definitions for polisher (1 of 2)

polish

verb

noun

Word Origin for polish

British Dictionary definitions for polisher (2 of 2)

Polish

adjective

noun

Word Origin and History for polisher (1 of 3)

polish

Word Origin and History for polisher (1 of 3)

polish

Word Origin and History for polisher (2 of 3)

Polish

Idioms and Phrases with polisher

polish