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Hen
Definitions
- 1 Hence. dialectal, not-comparable
- 1 A female chicken (Gallus gallus), especially a sexually mature one kept for her eggs.
"She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher."
- 2 female of certain aquatic animals e.g. octopus or lobster wordnet
- 3 A female of other bird species, particularly a sexually mature female fowl.
"In Tain, north of Inverness, staff detected 11 males and at least seven hens – the highest number there since 2011."
- 4 adult female bird wordnet
- 5 A female fish (especially a salmon or trout) or crustacean. uncommon
"As spawning time approaches – autumn or very early winter in most rivers, though in some late-run streams salmon may spawn as late as January or February – the hen's colouration becomes first a matt-pewter and then a drab dark brown-grey. The cock fish, in contrast, begins to gain some brighter colours."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 adult female chicken wordnet
- 7 A woman. figuratively
"Hen, a woman. A cock and hen club; a club composed of men and women."
- 8 flesh of an older chicken suitable for stewing wordnet
- 9 A woman.; A bride-to-be, particularly in the context of a hen night. UK, figuratively, informal
- 10 A hen night. UK, informal
- 11 An affectionate term of address used to women or girls. Scotland, informal
"Don't cry, hen. Everything will be all right."
- 12 The penis of a trans woman.
"Coordinate term: cock"
- 13 A henlike person of either sex. derogatory, figuratively, uncommon
- 14 The hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), a bivalve shellfish.
- 15 A large pewter pot used in a tavern. obsolete
- 1 Synonym of mother-hen. intransitive, transitive
"Once he had flared up, "If ever a man was henned, it's me!""
- 2 To throw. dialectal
Etymology
From Middle English hen, from Old English henn (“hen”), from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic *hanjō (“hen”), from Proto-Indo-European *kan-, *kana- (“to sing”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hanne (“hen”), West Frisian hin (“hen”), Dutch hen (“hen”), German Low German Heen (“hen”), German Henne (“hen”), Danish høne (“hen”), Swedish höna (“hen”), Icelandic hæna (“hen”). Related to Old English hana (“cock, rooster”). Also cognate to Latin cicōnia (“stork”), Latin canō (“to sing”), Russian каню́к (kanjúk, “buzzard”). Compare Russian пету́х (petúx, “rooster, cock”) from Russian петь (petʹ, “to sing”). Etymology 1 sense 7 after cock (“male chicken; man's penis”).
From Middle English hen, from Old English henn (“hen”), from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic *hanjō (“hen”), from Proto-Indo-European *kan-, *kana- (“to sing”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hanne (“hen”), West Frisian hin (“hen”), Dutch hen (“hen”), German Low German Heen (“hen”), German Henne (“hen”), Danish høne (“hen”), Swedish höna (“hen”), Icelandic hæna (“hen”). Related to Old English hana (“cock, rooster”). Also cognate to Latin cicōnia (“stork”), Latin canō (“to sing”), Russian каню́к (kanjúk, “buzzard”). Compare Russian пету́х (petúx, “rooster, cock”) from Russian петь (petʹ, “to sing”). Etymology 1 sense 7 after cock (“male chicken; man's penis”).
From Middle English henne, heonne, hinne, from earlier henene, heonenen, henen, from Old English heonan, hionan, heonane, heonone (“hence, from here, away, from how”), from Proto-Germanic *hina, *hinanō (“from here”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe-, *ḱey- (“this, here”). Cognate with Dutch heen (“away”), German hin (“hence, from here”), Danish hen (“away, further, on”). See also hence.
From hen (“hence, away”), or a variant of hench.
See also for "hen"
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