hen

(hĕn)

1. A female bird, especially the adult female chicken.

2. The female of certain aquatic animals, such as an octopus or lobster.

3. Often Offensive Slang A usually older woman, especially one who is engaged in conversation with other women.

[Middle English, from Old English; see kan- in Indo-European roots.]

hen′nish adj.

hen′nish·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

hen

(hɛn)

1. (Zoology) the female of any bird, esp the adult female of the domestic fowl

2. (Zoology) the female of certain other animals, such as the lobster

3. informal a woman regarded as gossipy or foolish

4. dialect Scot a term of address (often affectionate), used to women and girls

5. scarce as hen's teeth extremely rare

[Old English henn; related to Old High German henna, Old Frisian henne]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hen

(hɛn)

n.

1. the female of the domestic fowl.

2. the female of any bird, esp. of a gallinaceous bird.

3. the female of various crustaceans, as the lobster.

4. Slang. a woman, esp. a busybody or gossip.

[before 1000; Middle English; Old English hen(n) (compare Old English hana cock); c. Old High German henna; akin to Latin canere to sing]

hen′like`, adj.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	hen - adult female chicken biddy Gallus gallus, chicken - a domestic fowl bred for flesh or eggs; believed to have been developed from the red jungle fowl cackler - a hen that has just laid an egg and emits a shrill squawk brood hen, broody, broody hen, setting hen, sitter - a domestic hen ready to brood mother hen - a hen with chicks layer - a hen that lays eggs pullet - young hen usually less than a year old
	2.	hen - adult female bird bird - warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
	3.	hen - flesh of an older chicken suitable for stewing chicken, poulet, volaille - the flesh of a chicken used for food
	4.	hen - female of certain aquatic animals e.g. octopus or lobster female - an animal that produces gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes (spermatozoa)

hen

noun

Related words
collective noun brood

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

أنْثى كل الطُّيوردجاجةدَجَاجَةدَجاجَه

кокошка

augallina

slepicesamička

hønehun=-høne=-hun

Henne Weibchen Huhn

κότα πουλάδα

gallinahembra (de ave)ave

kana

poule

תרנגולת

kokoškokoška

tyúknőstény

hænakvenfugl

gallina femmina

めんどり雌鶏

암탉

gallina

moterų baliuspo padu laikomasvišta

vistamātītemātītes-

kip leghen legkipmoederkloekwijfje

sliepka

kokoškurasamica

kokoškokoškaкокошкокошка

höna

แม่ไก่

tavuk dişi

gà mái

母鸡雌禽

hen

[hen]

A. N (= fowl) → gallina f; (= female bird) → hembra f

B. ADJ the hen bird → el pájaro hembra

C. CPD hen coop N → gallinero m
hen night N (esp Brit) (= girls' night) → reunión f de mujeres; (before marriage) → despedida f de soltera
hen party N = hen night

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

hen

[ˈhɛn]

(= chicken) → poule f

(= female bird) → femelle f

adj (= female) [pheasant, blackbird] → femelle

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

hen

→ Huhn nt, → Henne f; as scarce or rare as hen’s teeth (dated inf) → so selten wie ein weißer Rabe

(= female bird, lobster) → Weibchen nt

(inf: also mother hen) → Glucke f (inf)

hen

henbane

n → Bilsenkraut nt

hen bird

n → (Vogel)weibchen nt

hen

hen night

n für die Braut vor der Hochzeit arrangierte Damengesellschaft

hen party

n (inf) → Damenkränzchen nt, → ˜ Kaffeeklatsch m (inf), → reine Weibergesellschaft (pej, inf); (before wedding) für die Braut vor der Hochzeit arrangierte Damengesellschaft

henpeck

vt → unterm Pantoffel haben (inf); a hened husband → ein Pantoffelheld m (inf); he is hened → er steht unterm Pantoffel (inf)

hen run

n → Hühnerhof m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

hen

[hɛn] n (fowl) → gallina; (with chicks) → chioccia; (female bird) → femmina
hen pheasant → fagiano femmina

hen

(hen) noun

1. the female farmyard fowl. Hens lay eggs.

2. the female of any bird. The hen is sitting on the nest; (also adjective) a hen blackbird.

ˈhen party noun

a party for women only, often just before one of them gets married (for men see stag party).

ˈhenpecked (-pekt) adjective

(of a man) ruled by his wife. a henpecked husband.

hen

→ دَجَاجَة slepice høne Henne κότα gallina kana poule kokoš gallina めんどり 암탉 kip høne kura galinha курица höna แม่ไก่ tavuk gà mái 母鸡

hen

n. gallina; [broth] caldo de.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

"Why, I've just laid an egg, that's all," replied a small, but sharp and distinct voice, and looking around her the little girl discovered a yellow hen squatting in the opposite corner of the coop.

"Of course," answered the hen, fluttering her wings and yawning.

View in context

A COTTAGER and his wife had a Hen that laid a golden egg every day.

View in context

Perched on the copper man's shoulder sat a yellow hen, with fluffy feathers and a pearl necklace around her throat.

"Oh, Billina!" cried Dorothy, in a glad voice, and the yellow hen flew to her arms, to be hugged and petted by turns.

View in context

So they went into the back yard, and after walking along winding paths some distance through the beautiful gardens they came to an attractive little house where the Yellow Hen sat on the front porch sunning herself.

Dorothy and Daniel are two good names, and I see no object in hunting for others," declared the Yellow Hen. "But just think, Dorothy, what a big chicken family we've grown to be, and our numbers increase nearly every day!

View in context

(Aunt Pettitoes passed round the handkerchief again)--"beware of traps, hen roosts, bacon and eggs; always walk upon your hind legs." Pigling Bland, who was a sedate little pig, looked solemnly at his mother, a tear trickled down his cheek.

View in context

Suddenly, he saw, among the sweepings in a corner, something round and white that looked very much like a hen's egg.

View in context

The old hen ain't hurt a bit, and she's seven years old, I know, and as tough as whipcord; she couldn't lay another egg to save her life."

View in context

Distracted hens in coops occupied spots where formerly stood chairs supporting sedate agriculturists.

View in context

Be that as it might, the hens were now scarcely larger than pigeons, and had a queer, rusty, withered aspect, and a gouty kind of movement, and a sleepy and melancholy tone throughout all the variations of their clucking and cackling.

View in context