Levigare

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To smooth or polish a surface to create an even finish
2. To refine or perfect something through careful and gradual improvement
3. Denoting the process of making an object or material smoother and more aesthetically pleasing

Etymology: In Latin, "levis" meant both "light," as in weight, and "smooth," and "levigare" grew from the second sense: to make something smooth or polished. The verb is built from that adjective plus a suffix that turns it into an action. The English word "levigate" kept the Latin sense but moved it into the workshop. Chemists and pharmacists use it for grinding a solid into a very fine powder by working it with a liquid, so that the finest particles can be separated by letting them settle. The smoothing was no longer about a surface but about the grain of the material itself.

Synonyms: smooth, polish, refine, buff

Antonyms: roughen, scratch, coarsen