burnish

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: bur=nish

CIDE DICTIONARY

burnish, v. t. [OE. burnischen, burnissen, burnen, OF. burnir, brunir, to make brown, polish, F. brunir, fr. F. brun brown, fr. OHG. brn; cf. MHG. briunen to make brown, polish. See Brown, a.].

 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.  [1913 Webster]
"The frame of burnished steel, that east a glare
From far, and seemed to thaw the freezing air."  [1913 Webster]
"Now the village windows blaze,
Burnished by the setting sun."  [1913 Webster]

Burnishing machine, a machine for smoothing and polishing by compression, as in making paper collars.

burnish, v. i. 

 To shine forth; to brighten; to become smooth and glossy, as from swelling or filling out; hence, to grow large.  [1913 Webster]
"A slender poet must have time to grow,
And spread and burnish as his brothers do."  [1913 Webster]
"My thoughts began to burnish, sprout, and swell."  [1913 Webster]

burnish, n. 

 The effect of burnishing; gloss; brightness; luster.  Crashaw.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

burnish, v.tr. polish by rubbing.

Derivative

burnisher n.

Etymology

ME f. OF burnir = brunir f. brun BROWN

THESAURUS

burnish

buff, dress, finish, furbish, glance, glaze, gloss, luster, polish, rub, rub up, sand, sandblast, sandpaper, scour, shine, sleek, slick, slick down, smooth, varnish, wax

ROGET THESAURUS

burnish

Beauty

VB be beautiful, shine, beam, bloom, become one, set off, grace, render beautiful, beautify, polish, burnish, gild, set out, snatch a grace beyond the reach of art.

Smoothness

VB smooth, smoothen, plane, file, mow, shave, level, roll, macadamize, polish, burnish, calender, glaze, iron, hot-press, mangle, lubricate.