Definitions

to polish, to grind; to roll with a stone roller

Etymology

Stone  used as teeth  also provides the pronunciation

About

is a phono-semantic compound that combines the stone radical with (yá), which supplies the pronunciation and evokes the grinding action of teeth. The character describes using a heavy stone to calender, polish, or smooth materials, historically essential in textile and paper production where stone rollers gave fabrics and paper a glossy finish.