preen

preen · noun, verb¹

1. Middle English · inherited fromprenen
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*brewn-“protrusion, tip, edge”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*preunaz
4. Old English · inherited fromprēon
5. Middle English · inherited frompren
6. English todaypreen

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.

preen · verb²

1. Old French · derived fromproignier“to trim the feathers with the beak”
2. English todaypreen

Variant of prune (by influence of preen above). Attested in Chaucer (c. 1395) in the variants preyneth, prayneth, proyneth, prunyht, pruneth, from Old French proignier (“to trim the feathers with the beak”).

Words from the same roots