Smooth; polished. [Obs.] Rays of light falling on a polite surface. Sir I. Newton.
Smooth and refined in behavior or manners; well bred; courteous; complaisant; obliging; civil. He marries, bows at court, and grows polite. Pope.
Characterized by refinement, or a high degree of finish; as, polite literature. Macaulay.
To polish; to refine; to render polite. [Obs.] Ray.
98,828 entries. Headwords are matched first, then definition text.