What does "hen" mean?
A female chicken (Gallus gallus), especially a sexually mature one kept for her eggs.
Hen
/hɛn/ adv, noun, verb, slang
adv, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A female chicken (Gallus gallus), especially a sexually mature one kept for her eggs.
- Grammar: hen is listed as adv, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bachelorette, bantam, banty, barn-door fowl.
- Useful contrasts: biddy, capon, chanticleer.
- Usage evidence: The hen is hatching her chicks.
How to use "hen"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hen" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hen" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hen" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hen" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hen" is acting as adv, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bachelorette" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hen", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 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
Verb
- 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
Adverb
- 1 Hence. dialectal, not-comparable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The hen is hatching her chicks."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hen"?
Common synonyms include: bachelorette, bantam, banty, barn-door fowl, barnyard fowl, biddies.
How do you use "hen" in a sentence?
The hen is hatching her chicks.
How do you pronounce "hen"?
Pronounced /hɛn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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”).
Etymology 2
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.
Etymology 3
From hen (“hence, away”), or a variant of hench.