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Definition of Preen
1. Verb. Clean with one's bill. "The birds preened"
2. Verb. Pride or congratulate (oneself) for an achievement.
Generic synonyms: Crow, Gloat, Triumph
Derivative terms: Congratulation, Congratulatory
3. Verb. Dress or groom with elaborate care. "They preen themselves"; "She likes to dress when going to the opera"
Generic synonyms: Attire, Deck Out, Deck Up, Dress Up, Fancy Up, Fig Out, Fig Up, Get Up, Gussy Up, Overdress, Prink, Rig Out, Tog Out, Tog Up, Trick Out, Trick Up
Related verbs: Dress, Get Dressed
Derivative terms: Dress, Primping
Definition of Preen
1. n. A forked tool used by clothiers in dressing cloth.
2. v. t. To dress with, or as with, a preen; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers; -- said of birds.
Definition of Preen
1. Noun. A pin. ¹
2. Noun. A bodkin; brooch. ¹
3. Noun. A forked instrument used by clothiers in dressing cloth. ¹
4. Verb. (transitive) To pin; fasten. ¹
5. Verb. (context: of birds) To groom; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers. ¹
6. Verb. To show off, posture, or smarm. ¹
7. Verb. (UK dialect dated) To trim up, as trees. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Preen
1. to smooth or clean with the beak or tongue [v -ED, -ING, -S]
Lexicographical Neighbors of Preen
Literary usage of Preen
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General by Thomas Spencer Baynes (1888)
"... Yellow, brown, and preen. Б.В. fosos with micro-salt in the red. flame, gives
reaction for titanic acid. Cc : silica 30'6, titanic acid 40'8, lime 28'8. ..."
2. Antiquities of Shropshire by Robert William Eyton (1858)
"It would seem too that the Lord of Holt preen had a concurrent right, with the
Prior of Wenlock, in the Patronage of this Cell or Priory. ..."
3. Traveller's Tales Told in Letters from Belgium, Germany, England, Scotland by Bertha Whitridge Smith (1912)
"XIV London A PERCH TO preen ONE'S FEATHERS—ENGLISH HOMES— A LITTLE COMPANY OF
THE ELECT—TRIBUTE TO MRS. JULIA WARD HOWE—A KATE GREEN AWAY VILLAGE—A WORD ON ..."
Other Resources:
