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Preen   /prin/   Listen
verb
Preen  v. t.  (past & past part. preened; pres. part. preening)  
1.
To dress with, or as with, a preen; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers; said of birds.
2.
To trim up, as trees. (Prov. Eng.)
3.
Hence: To dress (oneself) carefully or stylishly; to primp.
4.
To pride (oneself) on one's accomplishments; to congratulate (oneself).


Preen  v. i.  
1.
To dress up neatly and smartly; to make oneself well-groomed and well-dressed.
2.
To feel proud of one's achievement; to swell or gloat.


noun
Preen  n.  A forked tool used by clothiers in dressing cloth.





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Preen" Quotes from Famous Books



... you dearest birdlings in America! Preen your feathers, and stretch the Birds' nest a little, if you please, and let Uncle Jack in for the holidays. I am coming with such a trunk full of treasures that you'll have to borrow the stockings of Barnum's Giant and Giantess; I am coming to ...
— The Birds' Christmas Carol • Kate Douglas Wiggin
... now, and he eagerly scanned the action of the great Polar bear, which appeared to be in quite a playful mood, and had another roll and gambol on the ice before beginning to preen and clean its long, soft, whitish fur again as if it ...
— Steve Young • George Manville Fenn
... names were sign'd—and kiss'd the kiss: And the Bride, who came from her coach a Miss, As a Countess walk'd to her carriage— Whilst Hymen preen'd his plumes like a dove, And Cupid flutter'd his wings above, In the shape of a fly—as little a Love As ever ...
— The Poetical Works of Thomas Hood • Thomas Hood
... and looking out through the vermilion doors, I used to surprise a pair of swallows dropping down from their nest in the cedar-beams to preen themselves on the fountain's edge or in the channels of the pavement, for the roof was full of birds who came and went through the broken panes of the clerestory. Usually they were my only visitors, but one morning just at daylight I was ...
— In Morocco • Edith Wharton
... he cried abruptly, his voice ringing with a new menace in it, "what are you doing here? Why don't you go on? What are you staying here for? Is the world so damned small that you've got to come and preen ...
— Wolf Breed • Jackson Gregory


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