preen feathers

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• Preen — Preen, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Preened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Preening}.] [See {Preen}, n.; or cf. {Prune}.] 1. To dress with, or as with, a preen; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers; said of birds. Derham. [1913 Webster] 2. To trim up, as… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• preen — [pri:n] v [I and T] [Date: 1400 1500; Origin: Probably from Old French proignier; PRUNE1] 1.) if a bird preens or preens itself, it cleans itself and makes its feathers smooth using its beak 2.) to spend time making yourself look tidier and more… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

• preen — ► VERB 1) (of a bird) tidy and clean its feathers with its beak. 2) devote effort to making oneself look attractive. 3) (preen oneself) congratulate or pride oneself. ORIGIN probably related to obsolete prune, from Latin ungere anoint …   English terms dictionary

• preen — [ prin ] verb intransitive or transitive 1. ) if a bird or animal preens or preens itself, it cleans and arrange its feathers or fur with its beak or tongue 2. ) to spend a lot of time trying to make yourself look more attractive by arranging… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

• preen — [prēn] vt. [ME preynen, altered (infl. by preonen, to prick with a pin < preon < OE, a pin) < proinen, to PRUNE3] 1. to clean and trim (the feathers) with the beak: said of birds 2. to make (oneself) trim; dress up or adorn (oneself) 3.… …   English World dictionary

• preen´er — preen1 «preen», transitive verb, intransitive verb. 1. to smooth or arrange (the feathers) with the beak, as a bird does: »Past the Ryemeadow s lonely woodland nook Where many a stubble gray goose preens her wing (John Masefield). 2. to dress… …   Useful english dictionary

• preen gland — noun oil secreting gland situated at the base of the tail in most birds • Syn: ↑uropygial gland • Hypernyms: ↑oil gland • Part Holonyms: ↑bird * * * noun Etymology: pre …   Useful english dictionary

• preen gland — ▪ bird anatomy also called  Uropygial, or Oil, Gland,         in birds, an organ located on the back near the base of the tail. Paired or in two united halves, it is found in most birds. Absent in ostrich, emu, cassowary, bustard, frogmouth, and… …   Universalium

• preen — [[t]pri͟ːn[/t]] preens, preening, preened 1) VERB (disapproval) If someone preens themselves, they spend a lot of time making themselves look neat and attractive; used especially if you want to show that you disapprove of this behaviour or that… …   English dictionary

• preen — preen1 preener, n. /preen/, v.t. 1. (of animals, esp. birds) to trim or dress (feathers, fur, etc.) with the beak or tongue: The peacock preened itself on the lawn. 2. to dress (oneself) carefully or smartly; primp: The king preened himself in… …   Universalium

• preen — [14] Preen is generally taken to be an alteration of prune ‘cut branches’, under the influence of another now obsolete verb preen ‘pierce’, a descendant of the Old English noun prēon ‘pin’ (the notion presumably being of a bird ‘piercing’ its… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins