What does furbish mean?
To furbish is to brighten, polish, or restore something — typically metal, leather, wood, or other fine materials — so that it regains the fresh, smart appearance it had when new. The word carries connotations of care, craftsmanship, and renewal: one furbishes a sword, a brass instrument, a piece of furniture, or even, figuratively, a skill or reputation that has grown rusty. Historically it was closely associated with the maintenance of arms and armour, and it retains a slightly formal, old-fashioned flavour; in modern usage it survives most vigorously through its derivative 'refurbish', widely used for renovated buildings and second-hand goods. To 'furbish up' remains a recognised phrase meaning to spruce something up. For readers, furbish offers a precise, evocative alternative to vaguer terms like 'fix' or 'clean', conveying deliberate polishing and revival rather than mere repair. Its shared roots with 'burnish' make it part of a small family of words devoted to the art of restoring shine.
verbTo furbish is to brighten, polish, or restore something to a fresh and attractive condition, especially by cleaning or rubbing it up.
- To brighten, polish, or rub up something (especially metal, leather, or weapons) so that it regains a fresh, smart appearance.
- To restore or freshen up something more generally, bringing it back to an attractive or serviceable state.
"She furbished the antique brass lamp until it gleamed like new."
"The soldiers furbished their helmets and breastplates before the royal inspection."
"He spent the weekend furbishing the old piano, bringing its worn case back to a warm lustre."
Furbish shares its origins with 'burnish' — both trace back to the same Old French polishing word, making them long-lost cousins of shine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of furbish
Furbish derives from the Old French verb 'fourbir' (also recorded in variant forms such as 'furbir'), meaning to polish or rub up, which was itself adopted from a Germanic source. It entered English in the Middle Ages, where it was especially associated with the polishing of armour and weapons. Its close relative 'burnish' arose from variant forms of the same Old French word, making the two polished-sounding verbs siblings in origin.
Related word forms
How furbish is actually used
Furbish is somewhat formal and rather old-fashioned in tone, appearing most often today in literary, historical, or antiquarian writing, and frequently in the compound form 'refurbish', which has largely eclipsed it in everyday speech. The phrase 'furbish up' is a traditional idiom for tidying something up.
Easily confused with furbish
'Refurbish' means to repair and renovate something more broadly (especially buildings or equipment), while 'furbish' specifically means to brighten or polish it up.
'Burnish' refers specifically to polishing a surface, typically metal, by rubbing to make it shiny, whereas 'furbish' is a broader term for restoring something to a fresh condition.