preen

1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈprēn 

preened; preening; preens

transitive verb

1

of a bird : to groom with the bill especially by rearranging the barbs and barbules of the feathers and by distributing oil from the uropygial gland

2

: to dress or smooth (oneself) up : primp

3

: to pride or congratulate (oneself) on an achievement

intransitive verb

1

: to make oneself sleek

2

: to behave or speak with obvious pride or self-satisfaction

preener noun

preen

2 of 3

noun

1

dialectal, chiefly British : pin

2

dialectal, chiefly British : brooch

preen

3 of 3

verb (2)

preened; preening; preens

transitive verb

chiefly Scotland

: pin

Did you know?

Preen hatched in 14th-century Middle English, and early on it displayed various spelling forms, including prenen, prayne, prene, and preyne. The word traces to the Anglo-French puroindre, or proindre, linking pur-, meaning "thoroughly," with uindre, oindre, meaning "to anoint or rub." One of the first writers known to apply preen to the human act of primping was Geoffrey Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales: "He preens himself and prunes and combs his curls / To take the fancy of this queen of girls." Centuries later (sometime during the late 19th century), the prideful meaning of preen took flight, joining bird-related verbs plume, which was being used with the meaning "to pride or congratulate (oneself)," and peacock, a word still used today to mean "to show off."

Examples of preen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Which is why pigeons, unlike, say, imperial eagles, or regal lions, or, of course, horses preening with humans atop them, rarely get this sort of exalted treatment. —Carl Swanson, Curbed, 31 July 2024

Washington approaches the role like a preening peacock or a man showing off all his toys, and at first, his constant finicking might seem like a tic. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024

Here are five takeaways from the Bruins’ latest victory: Support system Foster wasn’t the only coach who could preen. —Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

Which brings us to the most galling mystery of the season: How on earth does this preening man-child get engaged? —Laura Bradley, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English prenen, alteration of proynen, prunen, from Anglo-French puroindre, proindre, from pur- thoroughly + uindre, oindre to anoint, rub, from Latin unguere — more at purchase entry 1, ointment

Noun

Middle English prene, from Old English prēon; akin to Middle High German pfrieme awl

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1572, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

preen

verb

ˈprēn

1

: to groom with the bill

a bird preening its feathers

2

: to make one's appearance neat and tidy

preened in front of the mirror