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Added 10 October 2026

preen

/pɹiːn/ verb

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about preen at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Clean with one's bill.
The birds preened
Pride or congratulate (oneself) for an achievement.
Dress or groom with elaborate care.
She likes to dress when going to the opera

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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