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Preen vs Preener - What's the difference?

preen | preener |

As nouns the difference between preen and preener

is that preen is a forked tool used by clothiers for dressing cloth while preener is one who preens.

As a verb preen

is to pin; fasten or preen can be (of birds) to groom; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers.

preen

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) pren, from (etyl) ‘edge’, Albanian brez ‘belt, girdle’). The verb is from (etyl) prenen, from .

Alternative forms

* (l) (dialectal)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A forked tool used by clothiers for dressing cloth.
  • (dialectal) pin
  • (dialectal) bodkin; brooch

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To pin; fasten.

    • Etymology 2

    Variant of prune (by influence of preen above) Attested in Chaucer (c. 1395) in the variants preyneth, prayneth, proyneth, prunyht, pruneth , from (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (of birds) To groom; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers.
  • To show off, posture, or smarm.
  • * 1993 , Scott Simmon, The Films of D W Griffith
    • His preening self-satisfaction, chest thrown forward as he settles into a chair in his mansion...
  • * 2004 , Jude Deveraux, Counterfeit Lady
    • He preened under her compliments.
  • (UK, dialect, dated) To trim up, as trees.
    • (Halliwell)

    See also

    * primp

    Anagrams

    *

    preener

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who preens.
  • *{{quote-news, year=2008, date=June 15, author=Mark Leibovich, title=Tiny Town: Washington After a Fall, work=New York Times citation
    • , passage=So in a town that’s in fact entirely over-populated with blow-dried preeners , it seemed entirely appropriate that the signature TV star be, if not ugly, aggressively “not pretty.” }}