Link Centre Dictionary

preen

UK/pɹiːn/ US/ˈprin/ uncommon

verb

1.

clean with one''s bill

  • “The birds preened”
Synonyms
2.

pride or congratulate (oneself) for an achievement

Synonyms
3.

dress or groom with elaborate care

  • “She likes to dress when going to the opera”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English pren, from Old English prēon, from Proto-Germanic *preunaz (compare Icelandic prjónn (“pin, knitting-needle”), Danish pryne (“needle, eel-spear”)), of uncertain origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *brewn- (“protrusion, tip, edge”) (compare Lithuanian briaunà (“edge”), Albanian brez (“belt, girdle”)). Cognate with German Pfriem. The verb is from Middle English prenen, from pren (“a preen”), akin to German pfriemen.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.