■ verb
1》 (of a bird) tidy and clean its feathers with its beak.
2》 (of a person) devote effort to making oneself look attractive.
3》 ( ~ oneself ) congratulate or pride oneself.
Derivatives
~er noun
Origin
ME: appar. a var. of obs. prune (based on L. ungere 'anoint'), in the same sense, assoc. with Scots and north. Engl. dialect ~ 'pierce, pin' (because of the ‘pricking’ action of the bird's beak).