furbish

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Frankish *furbēnbor.

Old French forbirbor.

Middle English furbisshen

English furbish

From Middle English furbisshen, from Old French forbir (stem furbiss-, “to clean, polish”), from Frankish *furbēn (“to clean, polish”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈfɜːbɪʃ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈfɝbɪʃ/

  • Audio (General American):

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Verb

furbish (third-person singular simple present furbishes, present participle furbishing, simple past and past participle furbished)

1. To polish or burnish.
2. To renovate or recondition.
   • 1897, Stanley John Weyman, chapter I, in Shrewsbury:

     I do not indeed suppose that anyone can at this time of day effect that which the sense of all good men failed to effect while he lived--I mean the final killing of those rumours; nor is a plain tale likely to persuade those, with whom idle reports, constantly furbished up, of letters seen in France, weigh more than a consistent life.

Synonyms

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

Derived terms

• refurbish

Translations

To polish or burnish

• Bulgarian: лъскам (bg) (lǎskam), полирам (bg) (poliram)
• German: aufputzen, aufpolieren (de), blank polieren, blank wienern
• Middle English: furbisshen

To renovate or recondition

• Bulgarian: възстановявам (bg) (vǎzstanovjavam)
• German: neu ausstatten, instand setzen (de), neu einrichten, renovieren (de)

Anagrams

• burfish