polish
noun
- material used to create a smooth surface
- state of being smooth
- make shiny
- refinement
verb
- rub to make shiny
- make shiny
- of, relating to, or characteristic of Poland, the Poles, or the Polish language
proper noun
- Slavic language of Poland
- principal ethnic group of Poland
- people from or residing in Poland, regardless of ethnicity
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈpəʊlɪʃ/ / /ˈpoʊlɪʃ/ / /ˈpɒl.ɪʃ/ / /ˈpɑ.lɪʃ/
adj
Etymology: From Pole + -ish. Doublet of Poylish.
- Of, from or native to Poland, or relating to the Polish language.
“Vinokur pulled the trigger a second and third time. "You're lying, you Polish cunt!" he screamed.”
“As we mentioned the only chemical used in Polish meats or sausages was potassium nitrate even though the list of food additives allowed in Europe was long and impressive.”
noun
Etymology: From Middle English polishen, from Old French poliss-, stem of some of the conjugated forms of polir, from Latin polīre (“to polish, make smooth”), from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- (“to drive, strike, thrust”), from the notion of fulling cloth.
- A substance used to polish.
“A good silver polish will remove tarnish easily.”
- Cleanliness; smoothness, shininess.
“The floor was waxed to a high polish.”
- Refinement; cleanliness in performance or presentation.
“The lecturer showed a lot of polish at his last talk.”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English polishen, from Old French poliss-, stem of some of the conjugated forms of polir, from Latin polīre (“to polish, make smooth”), from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- (“to drive, strike, thrust”), from the notion of fulling cloth.
- To shine; to make a surface very smooth or shiny by rubbing, cleaning, or grinding.
“He polished up the chrome until it gleamed.”
- To refine; remove imperfections from.
“The band has polished its performance since the last concert.”
“Study gives strength to the mind; conversation, grace: the first apt to give stiffness, the other suppleness: one gives substance and form to the statue, the other polishes it.”
- To apply shoe polish to shoes.
- To become smooth, as from friction; to receive a gloss; to take a smooth and glossy surface.
“Steel polishes well.”
“The other [gold], whether it will polish so well Wherein for the latter [brass] it is probable it will”
- To refine; to wear off the rudeness, coarseness, or rusticity of; to make elegant and polite.
“Arts that polish Life.”
“Educated at private schools and polished at Cambridge”