I.a smoothing off, rubbing up, polishing, finishing.
I. Lit.: “parietum, pavimentorum,” a plastering, Vitr. 6 fin.; 7 praef. fin.: “urbana,” i. e. of a house in the city, Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 1, 2, § 6: “miniacea,” Vitr. 7, 9.—
II. Trop., of speech, an adorning, embellishing.
A. In gen.: “in verbis inest quasi materia quaedam: in numero autem expolitio,” Cic. Or. 55, 185; id. de Or. 1, 12, 50; id. Inv. 1, 40, 74.—
B. In partic., as a fig. of speech, Auct. Her. 4, 42, 54 sq.