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ce, to refine; to wear off the rudeness, coarseness, or rusticity of; to make elegant and polite; as, to polish life or manners. Milton. To polish off, to finish completely, as an adversary. [Slang] W. H. Russell.

Made smooth and glossy, as by friction; hence, highly finished; refined; polite; as, polished plate; polished manners; polished verse.

An affected woman of polite society, esp. one of the literary women of the French salons of the 17th century.

of F. vers de société], the lightest kind of lyrical poetry; verses for the amusement of polite society.

olecism in politics. C. Middleton. The idea of having committed the slightest solecism in politeness was agony to him. Sir W. Scott.

Refined; accomplished; -- said of persons. [R. & Obs.] "Your polite and terse gallants." Massinger.

ce, sometimes, a rule. Not theories, but theorems (Coleridge. By the theorems, Which your polite and terser gallants practice, I re-refine the court, and civilize Their barbarous natures. Massinger.

hand or foot, or with any instrument; a stab; -- a word much used as a term of fencing. [Polites] Pyrrhus with his lance pursues, And often reaches, and his thrusts renews. Dryden.

To give occasion for labor to; -- used in polite phraseology; as, I will not trouble you to deliver the letter.

Not civil; not complaisant; discourteous; impolite; rude; unpolished; as, uncivil behavior.

To deprive of polish; to make impolite.

Belonging to, or suiting, those living in a city; cultivated; polite; urbane; as, urban manners. Urban servitude. See Predial servitude, under Servitude.

Courteous in manners; polite; refined; elegant.

The quality or state of being urbane; civility or courtesy of manners; politeness; refinement. The marquis did the honors of his house with the urbanity of his country. W. Irving.

Having good breeding; refined in manners; polite; cultivated. I am as well-bred as the earl's granddaughter. Thackera

Polite; well-bred; complaisant; courteous. Dryden.

The common grayish or white variety of soapolite.

he retina where vision is most accurate. See Eye. (b) (Zoöl.) A small American butterfly (Polites Peckius) of the Skipper family. Its wings are brownish, with a large, irregular, bright yellow spot on each of the hind wings, most conspicuous beneath. Called also Peck's skipper. See Illust. under Skipper, n., 5. -- Yel…