Nearby Words

polished

[pol-isht] Origin

pol·ished

[pol-isht]
adjective
1.
made smooth and glossy: a figurine of polished mahogany.
2.
naturally smooth and glossy: polished pebbles on the beach.
3.
refined, cultured, or elegant: a polished manner.
4.
flawless; skillful; excellent: a polished conversationalist.

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English polist. See polish, -ed2

un·pol·ished, adjective
well-pol·ished, adjective

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Polished is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

pol·ish

[pol-ish]
verb (used with object)
1.
to make smooth and glossy, especially 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.
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; Middle English polishen < Middle French poliss-, long stem of polir < Latin polīre to polish; see -ish2

pol·ish·er, noun
de·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)
EXPAND
re·pol·ish, verb, noun
COLLAPSE


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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
polished (ˈpɒlɪʃt)
 
adj
1.  accomplished: a polished actor
2.  impeccably or professionally done: a polished performance
3.  (of rice) having had the outer husk removed by milling

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

polish
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 mid-14c. Polished "elegant" is attested from early 15c. Slang polish off "finish" is 1837, from notion of applying
EXPAND
a coat of polish being the final step in a piece of work. The noun is first recorded c.1704, from the verb.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

polished (up) definition


  1. mod.
    alcohol intoxicated. (See also waxed.) : How much of that do I have to drink to get good and polished?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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