preen Hear it!

preen Definition

preen (prēn)

transitive verb

  1. to clean and trim (the feathers) with the beak: said of birds
  2. to make (oneself) trim; dress up or adorn (oneself)
  3. to show satisfaction with or vanity in (oneself)

Etymology: ME preynen, altered (infl. by preonen, to prick with a pin < preon < OE, a pin) < proinen, to prune

intransitive verb

to dress up in a fussy way; prink or primp

preen Related Forms

preener noun

preen Synonyms

preen

v.

preen Usage Examples

Object

  • feather: The range of textures he creates - tough hide, fluffy fur, preened feathers, dry scales - is extraordinary.
  • ego: His hopes for further promotion are about to be dashed; something his fragile, preening ego might not be able to cope with.
  • star: A marriage made in metal Is it the preening stars?
  • session: At about 6pm, she came into the box and began a thorough preening session.

Converse of object

have: Mom is taking a break from her maternal duties and is having a preen on the perch by the male.

Modifies a noun

  • gland: Preen gland disease is not associated with any particular feather type.
  • oil: The sun is thought to straighten the birds feathers and help the preen oil to spread through the feathers.

Modifying Another Word

  • alternately: Instead her now-familiar ritual of alternately preening then appearing petrified conjured up an atmosphere not of sober reflection but juvenile hysteria.
  • often: You could be accused of preening once too often.
  • then: Fortunately it landed and gave good views, a female, watched it preen then move off to different perches.

Preposition: in

  • front: So they're getting paid a shitload to have adoring fans coo and preen in front of their latest masterwork?
  • shade: Sure enough after some concerted effort we found two preening in the shade of some trees.