R E F E R E N C E S
Polish 1. to make smooth or glossy, esp. by rubbing or friction. 2. to render finished, refined, or elegant. 3. to take or bring to a different state by polishing or refining [often fol. by away, of, or out]. -v.i. 4. to become smooth and glossy through polishing. 5. Archaic. to become refined or elegant . . . . 9. the state of being polished. 10. smoothness and a bright reflection of surface. 11. superiority of manner or execution; refinement; elegance. [ME polishe(n) < MF poliss-, long s. of polir M L polír to polish: see -ISH2].
-Syn. 1. shine, brighten, burnish, buff, smooth. 10. shine, gleam. Polish, Gloss, Luster, Sheen refer to a smooth, shining, or bright surface form which light is reflected. Polish suggests the smooth, bright reflection often produced by friction: rubbed to a high polish . . . .
[Urdang, Laurence, ed. Random House Dictionary of The English Language. New York: Random House,1968.]
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