hen

Meaning

Noun

1. A female chicken (Gallus gallus), particularly a sexually mature one kept for her eggs.
2. A female of other bird species, particularly a sexually mature female fowl.
3. (uncommon) A female fish (especially a salmon or trout) or crustacean.
4. (figuratively) A woman.
5. (UK, figuratively, informal) A woman.
6. (UK, informal) A hen night.
7. (Scotland, informal) An affectionate term of address used to women or girls.
8. The penis of a trans woman.
9. (derogatory, figuratively, uncommon) A henlike person of either sex.
10. The hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), a bivalve shellfish.
11. (obsolete) A large pewter pot used in a tavern.

Verb

Synonym of mother-hen.

Adv

Hence.

Verb

To throw.

Synonyms

chicken

🐔

fowl

rooster

🐓

cock

biddy

chook

dove

🕊️

spider

🕷️

domestic fowl

dam

doe

duffy

female

♀️

goose

🪿

hens

loader

partridge

pea

she

👩

female bird

Newfoundland fish

bacaleau

baccalao

baccale

baccalo

bank fish

berry fish

blackberry fish

bull dog

codd

codde

fall fish

foxy tom-cod

Atlantic cod

turkey stuffed

bacalao

bank cod

female domestic fowl

grog fish

haberdine

harbour tom-cod

inshore cod

kil’din cod

logy fish

mother fish

northern cod

old soaker

red-cod

tally fish

tom-cod

Translations

poule

🐔

gallina

🐔

gallina

🐔

Henne

🐔

Huhn

🐔

hen

galinha

🐔

kip

🐔

κότα

gallina

🐔

gallina

🐔

tavuk

🐔

poulet

🐔

pollo

🐔

Pronounced as (IPA)

/hɛn/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: hen

Inherited from Old English: henn

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Hanne

Cognate with Western Frisian: hin

Cognate with Dutch: hen

Cognate with German: Henne

Cognate with Danish: høne

Cognate with Swedish: höna

Cognate with Icelandic: hæna

Cognate with Old English: hana

Cognate with Latin: cicōnia

Cognate with Latin: canō

Cognate with Russian: каню́к

Inherited from Middle English: henne

Inherited from Old English: heonan

Cognate with Dutch: heen

Cognate with German: hin

Cognate with Danish: hen

In summary

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”).
Sense 7 after cock (“male chicken; man's penis”).