chicken

[chik-uhn]

noun

1. a domestic fowl, Gallus domesticus, descended from various jungle fowl, especially the red jungle fowl, and developed in a number of breeds for its flesh, eggs, and feathers.

2. the young of this bird, especially when less than a year old.

3. the flesh of the chicken, especially of the young bird, used as food.

4. Slang.

   1. a cowardly or fearful person.

   2. a young or inexperienced person, especially a young girl.

   3. petty details or tasks.

   4. unnecessary discipline or regulations.

   5. a young gay male, especially one sought as a sexual partner by older men.

5. a contest in which two cars approach each other at high speed down the center of a road, the object being to force one's opponent to veer away first.

6. a policy or strategy of challenging an opponent to risk a clash or yield.

   diplomats playing chicken at the conference table.

adjective

1. (of food) containing, made from, or having the flavor of chicken.

   chicken salad; chicken soup.

2. Slang.

   1. cowardly.

   2. petty or trivial.

      a chicken regulation.

   3. obsessed with petty details, regulations, etc..

      He's quitting this chicken outfit to become his own boss.

verb phrase

1. chicken out

   1. to refrain from doing something because of fear or cowardice.

      I chickened out when I saw how deep the water was.

   2. to renege or withdraw.

      You can't chicken out of this business deal now.

chicken

/ ˈtʃɪkɪn /

noun

1. a domestic fowl bred for its flesh or eggs, esp a young one

2. the flesh of such a bird used for food

3. any of various similar birds, such as a prairie chicken

4. slang,  a cowardly person

5. slang,  a young inexperienced person

6. slang,  an underage boy or girl regarded as a potential target for sexual abuse

7. informal,  any of various, often dangerous, games or challenges in which the object is to make one's opponent lose his nerve

8. to be overoptimistic in acting on expectations which are not yet fulfilled

9. informal,  disorganized and uncontrolled

10. slang,  no longer young

    she's no chicken

adjective

1. slang,  easily scared; cowardly; timid

Word History and Origins

Origin of chicken¹

First recorded before 950; 1605–15 chicken for def. 4a; 1940–45 chicken for def. 6; Middle English chiken, Old English cīcen; akin to Middle Dutch kieken ( Dutch kuiken ), Low German küken

Word History and Origins

Origin of chicken¹

Old English ciecen; related to Old Norse kjūklingr gosling, Middle Low German küken chicken

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. count one's chickens before they are hatched, to rely on a benefit that is still uncertain.

   They were already spending wildly, in anticipation of their inheritance, counting their chickens before they were hatched.

More idioms and phrases containing chicken

• count one's chickens
• go to bed with (the chickens)
• like a chicken with its head cut off
• no spring chicken

Example Sentences

“Noem isn’t chicken,” Johnson added, along with a baby chick emoji.

Read more on Salon

A man dressed as a chicken, who has been present outside the facility for the last several weeks, waved to cars.

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As many as 23 million chickens, a quarter of the UK's poultry production, are raised in the river's catchment area.

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Pictures of basic meals and dirty mattresses have been sent to the BBC by charities and asylum seekers at Clearsprings sites with claims residents had been served uncooked chicken and food which was still frozen.

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About 20,000 chickens are to be culled after a suspected case of bird flu was found at a farm in County Tyrone.

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Related Words

• hen 
• poultry