burnish

burnish · verb, noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰerH-“brown”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*brūnaz“brown”
3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*brūnijaną“to decorate; tan”
4. Frankish · derived from*brūnijan“to polish, make resplendent”
5. Old French · derived fromburnir
6. Middle English · inherited fromburnishen
7. English todayburnish

The verb is derived from Middle English burnishen, burnysshen (“to polish, burnish; (figuratively) to brighten, give lustre to; to clean (something) until shiny; to decorate (with something shiny), adorn”) [and other forms], from burniss-, a stem of Old French burnir (compare, for example, the first-person present singular indicative form burnis), a variant of brunir (“to make clean and shiny, polish; to make brown”) (modern French brunir), from Frankish *brūnijan (“to polish, make resplendent”), from Proto-Germanic *brūnijaną (“to decorate; tan”), from Proto-Germanic *brūnaz (“brown”, adjective), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“brown”, adjective). Unrelated to burn. The noun is derived from the verb.

burnish · verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*bʰer-“to bear, carry”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*barną“child”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*barn“child”
4. Old English · inherited frombearn“child”
5. Middle English · inherited frombarnishen
6. English todayburnish

From Middle English barnishen, barnish (“to grow big (with child), to become pregnant; to grow stout or strong”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from barn (“child, offspring; infant; unborn child; human being, person; male person, man (especially a young man or young warrior)”). (from Old English bearn (“child”), from Proto-West Germanic *barn (“child”), from Proto-Germanic *barną (“child”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”)) + -ishen (suffix forming verbs).

Words from the same roots