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Chicken
Definitions
- 1 Cowardly. derogatory, informal, sometimes
"Why do you refuse to fight? Huh, I guess you're just too chicken."
- 1 easily frightened wordnet
- 1 A census-designated place in Alaska.
- 1 A domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus domesticus). countable
"backyard chickens"
- 2 plural of chick UK, dialectal, form-of, obsolete, plural
"The 21 or 22 day the Chicken are hatch'd; […]"
- 3 a domestic fowl bred for flesh or eggs; believed to have been developed from the red jungle fowl wordnet
- 4 The meat from this bird eaten as food. uncountable
"boneless chicken"
- 5 a foolhardy competition; a dangerous activity that is continued until one competitor becomes afraid and stops wordnet
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 The young of any bird; a chick. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"There they are – four ugly little chickens, a bit more than half-feathered, and all gaping mouths and bare bellies."
- 7 the flesh of a chicken used for food wordnet
- 8 A coward. countable, derogatory, slang, sometimes
"'Why, what a chicken you are! You are not afraid of being robbed; are you?' said Jonas."
- 9 a person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishy-washy wordnet
- 10 A young or inexperienced person. countable, derogatory, slang, sometimes
"Purſue your trade of ſcandal-picking, Your hints, that Stella is no chicken: Your innuendos, when you tell us, That Stella loves to talk with fellows; […]"
- 11 A young, attractive, slim man, usually having little body hair; compare chickenhawk. Polari, countable
"Europe's Favorite Gay Newspaper has something for you! Handsome studs, Tender Chicken, and lots of Male Nudes!"
- 12 The game of dare. uncountable
- 13 The game of dare.; A confrontational game in which the participants move toward each other at high speed (usually in automobiles); the player who turns first to avoid colliding into the other is the "chicken" (that is, the loser). countable, uncountable
"Don't play chicken with a freight train; you're guaranteed to lose."
- 14 A simple dance in which the movements of a chicken are imitated. countable, uncountable
- 15 A kilogram of cocaine. US, countable, slang, uncountable
"Up early in the morning trappin' (Trap-trap) You can get 'em how you askin' (Ask) How many chickens? You can get 'em whichever way Nigga, trap turned Zaxby's (Zax)"
- 16 A small pewter pot used in a tavern. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 1 To avoid a situation one is afraid of. intransitive
"For the umpteenth time, I chickened."
Etymology
From Middle English chiken (also as chike > English chick), from Old English ċicen, ċycen (“chicken”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *kiukīn (“chicken”), or alternatively from Proto-West Germanic *kukkīn, equivalent to cock + -en. Compare North Frisian schückling (“chicken”), Saterland Frisian Sjuuken (“chicken”), Dutch kuiken (“chick, chicken”), German Low German Küken (“chick”), whence German Küken (“chick”), (elevated, obsolete) German Küchlein (“chick”) and Old Norse kjúklingr (“chicken”).
From Middle English chiken (also as chike > English chick), from Old English ċicen, ċycen (“chicken”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *kiukīn (“chicken”), or alternatively from Proto-West Germanic *kukkīn, equivalent to cock + -en. Compare North Frisian schückling (“chicken”), Saterland Frisian Sjuuken (“chicken”), Dutch kuiken (“chick, chicken”), German Low German Küken (“chick”), whence German Küken (“chick”), (elevated, obsolete) German Küchlein (“chick”) and Old Norse kjúklingr (“chicken”).
Shortening of chicken out.
From chick + -en (plural ending).
Chosen instead of ptarmigan (a common local bird) because of a dispute over the correct spelling.
See also for "chicken"
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