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Definition of burnish verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

burnish

verb
 
/ˈbɜːnɪʃ/
 
/ˈbɜːrnɪʃ/
(formal)
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they burnish
 
/ˈbɜːnɪʃ/
 
/ˈbɜːrnɪʃ/
he / she / it burnishes
 
/ˈbɜːnɪʃɪz/
 
/ˈbɜːrnɪʃɪz/
past simple burnished
 
/ˈbɜːnɪʃt/
 
/ˈbɜːrnɪʃt/
past participle burnished
 
/ˈbɜːnɪʃt/
 
/ˈbɜːrnɪʃt/
-ing form burnishing
 
/ˈbɜːnɪʃɪŋ/
 
/ˈbɜːrnɪʃɪŋ/
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  1. burnish something to polish metal until it is smooth and shiny
    Oxford Collocations DictionaryBurnish is used with these nouns as the object:
    • credentials
    • image
    See full entry
    Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French burniss-, lengthened stem of burnir, variant of brunir ‘make brown’, from brun ‘brown’.
See burnish in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
trait
noun
 
 
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