3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Polishing  \Pol"ish*ing\, 
  a.  &  n.  from  {Polish}. 
 
  {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. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Polish  \Pol"ish\,  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 
 
  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. 
 
  {To  polish  off},  to  finish  completely,  as  an  adversary. 
  [Slang]  --W.  H.  Russell. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  polishing 
  n  :  the  work  of  making  something  shine  by  polishing  it  "he 
  performed  the  menial  chore  of  shining  shoes"  [syn:  {shining}] 

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