polis

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

To polish off, to finish completely, as an adversary. [ Slang ] W. H. Russell. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To become smooth, as from friction; to receive a gloss; to take a smooth and glossy surface; as, steel polishes well. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A smooth, glossy surface, usually produced by friction; a gloss or luster. [ 1913 Webster ]

Another prism of clearer glass and better polish. Sir I. Newton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Anything used to produce a gloss. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Fig.: Refinement; elegance of manners. [ 1913 Webster ]

This Roman polish and this smooth behavior. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being polished. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Made smooth and glossy, as by friction; hence, highly finished; refined; polite; as, polished plate; polished manners; polished verse. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being polished. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, polishes; also, that which is used in polishing. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & n. from Polish. [ 1913 Webster ]

Polishing iron, an iron burnisher; esp., a small smoothing iron used in laundries. --
Polishing slate. (a) A gray or yellow slate, found in Bohemia and Auvergne, and used for polishing glass, marble, and metals. (b) A kind of hone or whetstone; hone slate. --
Polishing snake, a tool used in cleaning lithographic stones. --
Polishing wheel, a wheel or disk coated with, or composed of, abrading material, for polishing a surface. [ 1913 Webster ]