Where does “burnish” come from?

Burnish comes from Middle English burnysshen, from Old French burnir, ultimately from Frankish brūnijan and Proto-Germanic brūnijaną, meaning to make brown or shiny.

burnish (English): To make smooth or shiny by rubbing; to polish; to...

Definitions

  1. To make smooth or shiny by rubbing; to polish; to...

Ancestry of “burnish”, step by step

burnish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English burnysshen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishburnysshen—
2Old FrenchburnirAlternative form of brunir
3Old Frenchbrunirto polish
4Frankishbrūnijanto polish, make resplendent
5Proto-Germanicbrūnijanąto decorate, tan
6Proto-Germanicbrūnazbrown
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanbʰerH-to pierce; to strike; brown

via Middle English burnischen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishburnischen—

Words derived from “burnish”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰerH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic brūnaz →Every word from Proto-Germanic brūnijaną →