shoeshine

[ shoo-shahyn ]

/ ˈʃuˌʃaɪn /

noun

an act or instance of cleaning and polishing a pair of shoes.

the surface of a polished shoe or shoes.

QUIZZES

Discover The Influence Of Portuguese On English Via This Quiz!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following bird names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby shoeshine

shoelace, shoemaker, shoemaker-levy 9, shoepac, shoer, shoeshine, shoestring, shoestring catch, shoestring potatoes, shoestring root rot, shoestring tackle

Origin of shoeshine

shoe + shine¹

British Dictionary definitions for shoeshine

shoeshine

/ (ˈʃuːˌʃaɪn) /

noun

the act or an instance of polishing a pair of shoes

the appearance or shiny surface of polished shoes

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