to make smooth and glossy, esp. by rubbing or friction: to polish a brass doorknob.
2.
to render finished, refined, or elegant: His speech needs polishing.
–verb (used without object)
3.
to become smooth and glossy through polishing: a flooring that polishes easily.
4.
Archaic. to become refined or elegant.
–noun
5.
a substance used to give smoothness or gloss: shoe polish.
6.
the act of polishing.
7.
state of being polished.
8.
smoothness and gloss of surface.
9.
superiority of manner or execution; refinement; elegance: the polish of a professional singer.
—Verb phrases
10.
polish off, Informal.
a.
to finish or dispose of quickly: They polished off a gallon of ice cream between them.
b.
to subdue or get rid of someone: The fighter polished off his opponent in the first round.
11.
polish up, to improve; refine: She took lessons to polish up her speech.
[Origin: 1250–1300; ME polishen < MF poliss-, long s. of polir < L polīre to polish; see -ish2]
—Related forms
pol·ish·er, noun
—Synonyms 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.
c.1300, from O.Fr. poliss-, prp. stem of polir "to polish," from L. polire "to polish, make smooth," of unknown origin. The notion of "to free from coarseness, to refine" first recorded 1340. Polished "elegant" is attested from c.1412. Slang polish off "finish" is 1837, from notion of applying a coat of polish being the final step in a piece of work. The noun is first recorded c.1704, from the verb.
of or relating to Poland or its people or culture; "Polish sausage"
noun
1.
the property of being smooth and shiny
2.
a highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality; "they performed with great polish"; "I admired the exquisite refinement of his prose"; "almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art"--Joseph Conrad
3.
a preparation used in polishing
4.
the Slavic language of Poland
verb
1.
make (a surface) shine; "shine the silver, please"; "polish my shoes"
2.
improve or perfect by pruning or polishing; "refine one's style of writing"
3.
bring to a highly developed, finished, or refined state; "polish your social manners"
In*ter"po*late\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Interpolated; p. pr. & vb. n. Interpolating.] [L. interpolatus, p. p. of interpolare to form anew, to interpolate, fr. interpolus, interpolis, falsified, vamped up, polished up; inter between + polire to polish. See Polish, v. t.]1. To renew; to carry on with intermission. [Obs.] Motion . . . partly continued and unintermitted, . . . partly interpolated and interrupted. --Sir M. Hale. 2. To alter or corrupt by the insertion of new or foreign matter; especially, to change, as a book or text, by the insertion of matter that is new, or foreign to the purpose of the author. How strangely Ignatius is mangled and interpolated, you may see by the vast difference of all copies and editions. --Bp. Barlow. The Athenians were put in possession of Salamis by another law, which was cited by Solon, or, as some think, interpolated by him for that purpose. --Pope. 3. (Math.) To fill up intermediate terms of, as of a series, according to the law of the series; to introduce, as a number or quantity, in a partial series, according to the law of that part of the series.
Pol"ish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polished; p. pr. & vb. n. Polishing.] [F. polir, L. polire. Cf. Polite, -ish]1. To make smooth and glossy, usually by friction; to burnish; to overspread with luster; as, to polish glass, marble, metals, etc. 2. Hence, to refine; to wear off the rudeness, coarseness, or rusticity of; to make elegant and polite; as, to polish life or manners. --Milton. To polish off, to finish completely, as an adversary. [Slang] --W. H. Russell.
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