preen

• vt. 打扮；用嘴整理；赞扬
• vi. 洋洋自得；把（自己）打扮漂亮

来自prune拼写变体，来自prune,使圆润，剪枝，修剪，用于指鸟整理羽毛，引申词义打扮，修饰。

1. clean with one's bill;

"The birds preened"

2. pride or congratulate (oneself) for an achievement

3. dress or groom with elaborate care;

"She likes to dress when going to the opera"

preen

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 feathers with its beak when cleaning them).
=> prune

preen (v.)

"to trim, to dress up," late 14c., perhaps a variation of Middle English proynen, proinen "trim the feather with the beak" (see prune (v.)); or perhaps from Old French poroindre "anoint before," and Old French proignier "round off, prune." Middle English prene (from Old English preon, a general Germanic word) meant "to pin," and probably influenced the form of this word. Watkins, however, connects it with Latin unguere "to smear, anoint."

Because of the popularity of falconry, bird activities formerly were more closely observed and words for them were more precise in English than today.

Youre hawke proynith and not pikith and she prenyth not bot whan she begynnyth at hir leggys, and fetcheth moystour like oyle at hir taill. ["Book of St. Albans," 1486]

Will you stop preening yourself in front of the mirror?

你别对着镜子打扮个没完行不行？

牛津词典

50% of men under 35 spend at least 20 minutes preening themselves every morning in the bathroom...

50%的35岁以下男性每天早上至少花20分钟在盥洗室精心打扮。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Bill preened his beard.

比尔精心修剪了他的胡须。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

She stood preening in their midst, delighted with the attention...

她得意洋洋地站在他们中间，为受人瞩目而高兴。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

He preened himself on the praise he had received.

他因为得到了赞扬而沾沾自喜。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Rare birds preen themselves right in front of your camera.

很少有鸟类会在镜头面前梳理自己的羽毛。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

A real man didn't prance around and yap at the mouth and preen for the camera.

显然生活中的人不会在摄影机前跃马而起,厉声喝斥,刻意打扮.

期刊摘选

Brian: Oh. Well, next time, preen yourself before asking her out.

布莱恩: 噢. 那下次你要开口约她出去之前,先好好打扮一下吧.

期刊摘选

Do not preen yourself on defeating so weak a person.

不要因打败弱者而自傲.

期刊摘选

You preen your right wing.

你梳你右翼.

期刊摘选

He never cared a preen for her.

他对她一点也不在乎.

《现代英汉综合大词典》

Together , the men preen, strut , shimmy , and shake their feathered costumes, mimicking birds of paradise.

人们梳妆打扮, 昂首阔步, 抖动着羽毛装束, 模仿那里的天堂鸟的动作.

期刊摘选

Juvenile king penguins preen on the shore.

年轻的企鹅首领在岸边用嘴整理羽毛.

期刊摘选

Tonight, you can watch the women figure skaters pout and preen their way to the medals.

今晚, 你们将看到女子花样滑冰选手把自己打扮得漂漂亮亮的,去争取金牌.

期刊摘选

They sat in Germaine Rocher's salon watching the languid mannequins preen and simper.

她们正坐在吉米·罗切的美术展览馆里,看着那些疲乏的服装模特炫耀服装和假笑.

辞典例句

Mimicry can also be a great way preen, or learn, or make a new friend.

伪装术也可以是一种很好的炫耀, 学习和交友的方式.

期刊摘选

Rare birds preen themselves right in front of your camera.

很少有鸟类会在镜头面前梳理自己的羽毛。

柯林斯例句