I.to smooth off, make smooth, polish.
I. Lit.: “hac (i. e. herinacei) cute expoliuntur vestes,” Plin. 8, 37, 56, § 135: “libellus arida pumice expolitus,” Cat. 1, 2: “aedes expolitae,” Plaut. Most. 1, 2, 18: “expolitus paries,” Vitr. 7, 9; cf. under P. a.: “signum,” Quint. 2, 19, 3: “scabritias unguium,” Plin. 24, 4, 6, § 12.—Pass. in mid. force: “numquam concessavimus poliri, expoliri, pingi,” Plaut. Poen. 1, 2, 11. —
II. Trop., to polish, finish, accomplish, embellish, improve, refine, elaborate: “parentes (liberos) expoliunt, docent litteras,” Plaut. Most. 1, 2, 45; cf.: “Dionem Plato doctrinis omnibus expolivit,” Cic. de Or. 3, 34, 139: “vir omni vita atque victu excultus atque expolitus,” id. Brut. 25, 95: “illi te expoliendum limandumque permittas,” Plin. Ep. 1, 10: “Graeca doctrina expolitus,” Gell. 15, 11, 3: “nox te expolivit hominemque reddidit,” Cic. de Or. 2, 10, 40: “nihil omnibus ex partibus perfectum natura expolivit,” id. Inv. 2, 1, 3: “inventum,” Auct. Her. 2, 18, 27: “eandem rem eodem modo dicere ... id obtundere auditorem est, non rem expolire,” id. 4, 42, 54: “partiones,” Cic. Inv. 1, 41, 76: “orationem,” Quint. 8, 3, 42: “consilium,” Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 60: “opus,” id. Mil. 4, 4, 38.—
B. Com., to polish off, i. e. to ruin: “qui amat, nequit quin nihili sit atque improbis artibus se expoliat,” Plaut. Truc. 2, 7, 3.—Hence, expŏlī-tus , a, um, P. a., polished, smooth, neat, clean: “dens expolitior,” Cat. 39, 20: “frumenta expolitiora,” Col. 2, 20, 6: villae expolitissimae, Scipio Afric. ap. Gell. 2, 20, 6.
