# preen

> English word · Noun · IPA /pɹiːn/ · frequency rank #78,954

## Definitions
1. A forked tool used by clothiers for dressing cloth.
2. A pin.
3. A bodkin; brooch.

## Etymology
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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/preen