BURNISH

polish, gloss, glossiness, burnish

(noun) the property of being smooth and shiny

buff, burnish, furbish

(verb) polish and make shiny; “buff the wooden floors”; “buff my shoes”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

burnish (third-person singular simple present burnishes, present participle burnishing, simple past and past participle (obsolete) burnisht or burnished)

(transitive) To make smooth or shiny by rubbing; to polish; to shine.

(intransitive) To shine forth; to brighten; to become smooth and glossy, as from swelling or filling out; hence, to grow large.

(metaphoric) To make appear positive and highly respected.

Synonyms

• (to make smooth and shiny by rubbing): wax, shine, polish, furbish, buff

Noun

burnish

Polish; lustre.

Source: Wiktionary

Bur"nish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burnished; p. pr. & vb. n. Burnishing.] Etym: [OE. burnischen, burnissen, burnen, OF. burnir, brunir, to make brown, polish, F. brunir, fr. F. brun brown, fr. OHG. br; cf. MHG. briunen to make brown, polish. See Brown, a.]

Definition: To cause to shine; to make smooth and bright; to polish; specifically, to polish by rubbing with something hard and smooth; as, to burnish brass or paper. The frame of burnished steel, that east a glare From far, and seemed to thaw the freezing air. Dryden. Now the village windows blaze, Burnished by the setting sun. Cunningham. Burnishing machine, a machine for smoothing and polishing by compression, as in making paper collars.

Bur"nish, v. i.

Definition: To shine forth; to brighten; to become smooth and glossy, as from swelling or filling out; hence, to grow large. A slender poet must have time to grow, And spread and burnish as his brothers do. Dryden. My thoughts began to burnish, sprout, and swell. Herbert.

Bur"nish, n.

Definition: The effect of burnishing; gloss; brightness; luster. Crashaw.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition