Preened

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To carefully clean or smooth feathers, fur, or hair ; to display oneself with pride or act in a self-satisfied manner
2. To groom or make oneself neat and tidy by smoothing hair or feathers ; to show off or behave as if pleased with one's appearance or achievements
3. To tidy or arrange feathers or hair with attention to detail ; to act proudly about one's look or accomplishments with noticeable satisfaction

Etymology: The verb "preened" is simply the past tense of "preen," and the surprising part is that the word began as a needle. Old English "prēon" meant a pin or a bodkin, a small pointed tool, and the same root gave Icelandic "prjónn," a knitting needle, and German "Pfriem," an awl. Birds used that pointed-tool sense to describe their own work: a bird running its beak through its feathers was, in effect, pricking and smoothing them, and the verb "prenen" grew out of the noun to name the act. The word then took a detour through a second verb. In Chaucer's time, around 1395, spellings such as "preyneth" and "prayneth" appear in forms that also resemble "prune," which came from Old French "proignier," meaning to trim the feathers with the beak. The two words influenced each other, so "prune" in the sense of a bird tidying its plumage and "preen" ended up sharing a sense and a form. Preening still describes the same grooming, beak-dragging motion the old needle-root once named.

Synonyms: groomed, tidied, arranged