polish

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word polish. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word polish, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say polish in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word polish you have here. The definition of the word polish will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofpolish, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: Polish

English

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.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) enPR: pŏl'ĭsh, IPA(key): /ˈpɒl.ɪʃ/
  • (US) enPR: pä'lĭsh, IPA(key): /ˈpɑ.lɪʃ/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Noun

polish (countable and uncountable, plural polishes)

  1. A substance used to polish.
    A good silver polish will remove tarnish easily.
  2. Cleanliness; smoothness, shininess.
    The floor was waxed to a high polish.
  3. Refinement; cleanliness in performance or presentation.
    The lecturer showed a lot of polish at his last talk.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

polish (third-person singular simple present polishes, present participle polishing, simple past and past participle polished)

  1. (transitive) To shine; to make a surface very smooth or shiny by rubbing, cleaning, or grinding.
    He polished up the chrome until it gleamed.
  3. (transitive) To refine; remove imperfections from.
    The band has polished its performance since the last concert.
    • 1699, William Temple, Heads designed for an essay on conversations‎:
      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.
  4. (transitive) To apply shoe polish to shoes.
  5. (intransitive) To become smooth, as from friction; to receive a gloss; to take a smooth and glossy surface.
    Steel polishes well.
    • a. 1626, Francis Bacon, Inquisitions touching the compounding of metals:
      The other [gold], whether it will polish so well Wherein for the latter [brass] it is probable it will
  6. (transitive) To refine; to wear off the rudeness, coarseness, or rusticity of; to make elegant and polite.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Further reading

Anagrams

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia