Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A female bird, especially the adult female chicken.
- noun The female of certain aquatic animals, such as an octopus or lobster.
- noun Often Offensive Slang A usually older woman, especially one who is engaged in conversation with other women.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Hence: the more original form.
- To back down in a cowardly way; funk out: as, he henned at the last minute.
- noun The female of the domestic fowl: opposed to cock.
- noun Any female bird; especially, used attributively, equivalent to female: as, hen canary, hen sparrow, etc.
- noun In a general sense, the common domestic or barn-yard fowl (Gallus domesticus), or any specimen of this fowl, in all its varieties and without regard to gender; a chicken. See
Gallus . - noun A bivalve mollusk of the family Veneridæ and genus Tapes. At Hereford in England the name is given to two species, T. decussata, the purr, and T. aurea. See
hen-clam . - To throw.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) The female of the domestic fowl; also, the female of grouse, pheasants, or any kind of birds
- noun (Zoöl.) A California clam of the genus Pachydesma.
- noun See Hen harrier (below).
- noun (Zoöl.) a hawk (
Circus cyaneus ), found in Europe and America; -- called alsodove hawk ,henharm ,henharrow ,hen driver , and usually, in America,marsh hawk . SeeMarsh hawk . - noun (Zoöl.) one of several species of large hawks which capture hens; esp., the American red-tailed hawk (
Buteo borealis ), the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus ), and the goshawk.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb dialectal To
throw . - adverb dialectal
Hence . - noun A female
bird . - noun specifically A female
chicken , especially one kept for itseggs . - noun slang A
woman . - noun informal The woman whose impending
marriage is being celebrated at ahen night .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun adult female chicken
- noun adult female bird
- noun female of certain aquatic animals e.g. octopus or lobster
- noun flesh of an older chicken suitable for stewing
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The term hen-cocks is, in consequence, often applied to them; but although the sickle feathers are thus modified, no bird possesses higher courage, or a more gallant carriage.
The Book of Household Management Isabella Mary 1861
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The term hen-cocks is, in consequence, often applied to them; but although the sickle feathers are thus modified, no bird possesses higher courage, or a more gallant carriage.
The Book of Household Management Isabella Mary 1861
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There are still a few situations in which I would put a decoy out but a hen is all you need.
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There are still a few situations in which I would put a decoy out but a hen is all you need.
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These perky women, whose tops spell out the word "hen," resemble, at times, cheerleaders; the prominent men playing the tale's animals likewise have identifying letters on their T-shirts, somewhat like sports jerseys.
Mark Morris And His Joy of Text Robert Greskovic 2011
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He seems genuinely excited about being able to tell us that pigs prefer to be clean, and that a mother hen is as protective of her young as, well, a mother hen.
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He seems genuinely excited about being able to tell us that pigs prefer to be clean, and that a mother hen is as protective of her young as, well, a mother hen.
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When a hen is about to begin laying she makes a cackling noise for several days, when a nest of hay should be prepared for her, and a nest egg put into it, to induce her to lay there.
The Lady's Country Companion: or, How to Enjoy a Country Life Rationally Jane 1845
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The eggs should be removed as soon as laid, as the hen is apt to spoil or break them, by sitting in the nest to lay others.
The Lady's Country Companion: or, How to Enjoy a Country Life Rationally Jane 1845
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Orlean's experiences with poultry-keeping are uncannily similar to mine; her crowing "hen" is Laura, ours was Loretta.
Mattias commented on the word hen
Hen is a Swedish gender-neutral personal pronoun . The word can be used when the gender is unknown, insignificant or be unclear done 2 3 . The word can also be used for people who do not feel at home in a gender division between man and woman..
Feminism in Sweden is al going crazy man!
June 29, 2015