noun

hen

hehn

noun

An adult female chicken, especially one kept for laying eggs.

"The farmer collected a dozen eggs from the hens this morning."

An adult female of various other bird species.

"The hen guarded her nest closely while the male foraged nearby."

A casual, often affectionate term for a woman, especially in British and Scottish speech.

""Come on, hen, you'll be late," she said to her friend."

How to Use Hen

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA female chicken; informally, a friendly way to address a woman in some British dialects.

When to use it

Using "hen" to address a woman is informal and regional (especially Scottish), not standard elsewhere.

Common pairings

hen night hen party laying hen

Word Forms

henned past tense, henned past tense, hens plural, hens singular, hens singular

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The farmer collected a dozen eggs from the _____ this morning.

Etymology

From Old English henn, related to Germanic words for "hen" that ultimately trace to an old root meaning "to sing" — the same root behind the word for a male chicken, "cock".

Synonyms

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hen-bird bachelorette

Related Words

bachelorette

Rhymes for hen

when then Chen shen Zhen Cohen lichen kitchen Chechen Stephen toughen freshen

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