preen
11preen — [prēn] vt. [ME preynen, altered (infl. by preonen, to prick with a pin < preon < OE, a pin) < proinen, to PRUNE3] 1. to clean and trim (the feathers) with the beak: said of birds 2. to make (oneself) trim; dress up or adorn (oneself) 3.… …
12preen´er — preen1 «preen», transitive verb, intransitive verb. 1. to smooth or arrange (the feathers) with the beak, as a bird does: »Past the Ryemeadow s lonely woodland nook Where many a stubble gray goose preens her wing (John Masefield). 2. to dress… …
13preen — [[t]pri͟ːn[/t]] preens, preening, preened 1) VERB (disapproval) If someone preens themselves, they spend a lot of time making themselves look neat and attractive; used especially if you want to show that you disapprove of this behaviour or that… …
14preen — preen1 preener, n. /preen/, v.t. 1. (of animals, esp. birds) to trim or dress (feathers, fur, etc.) with the beak or tongue: The peacock preened itself on the lawn. 2. to dress (oneself) carefully or smartly; primp: The king preened himself in… …
15preen — v. (formal) (d; refl.) to preen oneself on ( to pride oneself on ) * * * [priːn] (formal) (d; refl.) to preen oneself on ( to pride oneself on ) …
16preen — [14] Preen is generally taken to be an alteration of prune ‘cut branches’, under the influence of another now obsolete verb preen ‘pierce’, a descendant of the Old English noun prēon ‘pin’ (the notion presumably being of a bird ‘piercing’ its… …
17preen — verb 1》 (of a bird) tidy and clean its feathers with its beak. 2》 (of a person) devote effort to making oneself look attractive. 3》 (preen oneself) congratulate or pride oneself. Derivatives preener noun Origin ME: appar. a var. of obs. prune… …
18preen — UK [priːn] / US [prɪn] verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms preen : present tense I/you/we/they preen he/she/it preens present participle preening past tense preened past participle preened 1) if a bird or animal preens or preens itself, it… …
19preen — /prin / (say preen) verb (t) 1. to trim or dress with the beak, as a bird does its feathers. 2. to prepare, dress, or array (oneself) carefully in making one s toilet. 3. to pride (oneself) on an achievement, etc. {probably variant of obsolete… …
20preen — [14] Preen is generally taken to be an alteration of prune ‘cut branches’, under the influence of another now obsolete verb preen ‘pierce’, a descendant of the Old English noun prēon ‘pin’ (the notion presumably being of a bird ‘piercing’ its… …
