To rub something smooth and shiny, or to refine and improve something like a piece of writing or a skill.
From Old French 'poliss-,' from Latin 'polire' meaning 'to smooth,' used since the 1300s both literally for making surfaces shiny and figuratively for refining ideas.
Polishing creates shine because microscopic scratches scatter light in all directions, but smooth surfaces reflect light straight back—so shine is literally about removing chaos at the microscopic level, a perfect metaphor for refining anything!
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