different between preen vs treen

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p?i?n/
• Rhymes: -i?n

Etymology 1

From Middle English pren, from Old English pr?on, from Proto-Germanic *preunaz (compare Icelandic prjónn (“pin, knitting-needle”), Danish pryne ‘needle, eel-spear’), from Proto-Indo-European *brewn- (“protrusion, tip, edge”) (compare Lithuanian briaunà ‘edge’, Albanian brez ‘belt, girdle’).The verb is from Middle English prenen, from pren (“a preen”).

Alternative forms

• prin (dialectal)

Noun

preen (plural preens)

1. A forked tool used by clothiers for dressing cloth.
2. (dialectal) pin
3. (dialectal) bodkin; brooch

Verb

preen (third-person singular simple present preens, present participle preening, simple past and past participle preened)

1. (transitive) 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 Old French proignier (“to trim the feathers with the beak”).

Verb

preen (third-person singular simple present preens, present participle preening, simple past and past participle preened)

1. (of birds) To groom; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers.
2. To show off, posture, or smarm.
3. (Britain, dialect, dated) To trim up, as trees.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

Translations

See also

• primp

Anagrams

• neper, perne

Scots

Etymology

From Middle English pren, from Old English pr?on, from Proto-Germanic *preunaz (“pin, knitting needle”).

Noun

preen (plural preens)

1. metal pin
2. pine needle

Derived terms

Verb

preen (third-person singular present preens, present participle preenin, past preent, past participle preent)

1. to pin (fasten with a pin)
2. to dress oneself up

Spanish

Verb

preen

1. Second-person plural (ustedes) present subjunctive form of prear.
2. Third-person plural (ellos, ellas, also used with ustedes^?) present subjunctive form of prear.
3. Second-person plural (ustedes) imperative form of prear.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t?i?n/

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the main entry.

Noun

treen

1. (obsolete) plural of tree

Etymology 2

From Middle English treen, from Old English triewen, from Proto-Germanic *triw?naz, equivalent to tree +? -en. See trencher, truncher.

Adjective

treen (comparative more treen, superlative most treen)

1. (now chiefly dialectal) Pertaining to or derived from trees; wooden; made of wood.

Noun

treen (countable and uncountable, plural treens)

1. Household articles made of wood.
2. (now chiefly dialectal, Scotland) A large wooden platter.

Synonyms

• (household articles made of wood): treenware

Etymology 3

Noun

treen (plural treens)

1. A territorial division in the Isle of Man.

Anagrams

• Enter, Enter., enter, enter-, entre, rente, terne

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English tr?wen; equivalent to tre +? -en (“made of”).

Alternative forms

• treene, treyn, tryen, tren, trene, trenne, treowene

Adjective

treen

1. Made of wood; wooden.
2. Pertaining to trees.

Noun

treen pl

1. (collectively) Items made of wood.

Descendants

• English: treen

References

• “treen, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 1 May 2018.

Etymology 2

From tre +? -en (“plural suffix”).

Noun

treen

1. plural of tre