Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 8, 2023 is: preen \PREEN\ verb

To preen is to make one's appearance neat and tidy or to behave or speak with obvious pride or self-satisfaction. In [ornithology](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ornithology), preen means "to groom with the bill."

// She stood preening herself in front of the mirror.

// The award-winners were preening backstage.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preen)

Examples:

"One day, I crossed the Nakdong River on foot, over a bridge connecting the neighborhood of Hadan to Eulsuk Island. That area, where the river meets the ocean, had been the site of the Nakdong Bulge, part of a monthlong battle in 1950. It is now an [estuary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estuary) for migrating birds, and I thrilled at seeing a great egret preen on a glittering field of water." — E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2023

Did you know?

Preen hatched in 14th-century Middle English, and early on it displayed various spelling forms, including prenen, prayne, prene, and preyne. The word traces to the Anglo-French puroindre, or proindre, linking pur-, meaning "thoroughly," with uindre, oindre, meaning "to anoint or rub." One of the first writers known to apply preen to the human act of primping was Geoffrey Chaucer in [The Canterbury Tales](https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Canterbury-Tales): "He preens himself and prunes and combs his curls / To take the fancy of this queen of girls." Centuries later (sometime during the late 19th century), the prideful meaning of preen took flight, joining bird-related verbs [plume](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plume#h2), which was being used with the meaning "to pride or congratulate (oneself)," and [peacock](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peacock#dictionary-entry-2), a word still used today to mean "to show off."