prink

Etymology 1

From Middle English prinken (“to wink, signal with the eye”), from prinke, prinche (“a wink, twinkling of the eye, momentary gesture”), from Old English princ (“a wink”). More at pry.

verb

1. (obsolete or dialectal) to give a wink; to wink.

Etymology 2

Perhaps alteration (due to primp) of prank (“to deck, adorn”), from Middle English pranken (“to trim”), or from Middle Dutch prinken (“to deck for show, parade in fine apparel”) (from pronk (“show, display”) or from Middle Low German prunken (from prank (“display”)). Cognate with Middle Dutch pronken (“to flaunt”), German Prunk (“a show, parade, splendour”), Danish and Swedish prunk.

noun

1. The act of adjusting one's dress or appearance; the act of sprucing oneself up.
   “Is my sash right; and does my hair look very bad?” said Meg, as she turned from the glass in Mrs. Gardiner’s dressing-room, after a prolonged prink. 1868, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 3, in Little Women, volume 1, Boston: Roberts Brothers, page 43

verb

1. To look, gaze.
2. To dress finely, primp, preen, spruce up.
   […] by the Mass: You’ll make excellent Wives, Cuckold your Husbands immoderately: You mind nothing but prinking your selves up. 1676, Thomas Shadwell, The Virtuoso, London: Henry Herringman, act I, page 12
   She put it on, then floated round the room prinking things — the flowers, the ashtrays, Jack's whisky tray — making everything outside herself perfect because nothing inside herself was perfect in the least. 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy
3. To strut, put on pompous airs, be pretentious.

Etymology 3

Contraction of pre-drink.

verb

1. (UK, university slang, humorous) To pre-drink.