polish

n.

polish

v.

polish implies rubbing, as with a cloth or tool and, often, an abrasive, paste, etc., to produce a smooth or glossy surface to polish silver, glass, furniture, etc.; burnish specifically suggests the rubbing of metals to make them bright and lustrous burnished steel; buff implies polishing with a stick or tool covered with specially treated leather (originally buffalo hide) or with a soft cloth or pad to buff the fingernails; shine implies making bright and clean by polishing to shine shoes