hen

[hen]

noun

1. a female chicken.

   Our hens only recently started laying, but these fresh eggs were worth the wait!

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

   The mallard drakes are splendidly colorful while the hens are camouflaged in drab plumage.

3. the female of certain marine creatures, including lobsters and salmon.

   I prefer a hen when making lobster bisque, as the dark red roe enhances both flavor and color.

4. Informal: Sometimes Offensive.,  a usually middle-aged or older woman, especially one who is considered to be petty or gossipy.

   Let’s get out of here and leave the hens to their blather.

5. Informal.,  a female in attendance at a hen party.

   The incident at the restaurant occurred hours after our party was over and we’d all gone home, but all of us hens were brought in for questioning the next morning.

6. British and Australian Informal.,  the bride-to-be at a bachelorette party.

   A toast to Vera, the beautiful hen, who’s flying our coop in less than a fortnight!

7. Scots Informal.,  an affectionate or familiar term of address to a girl or woman.

   That’s lovely, hen, thank you.

hen

/ hɛn /

noun

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

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

3. informal,  a woman regarded as gossipy or foolish

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

5. extremely rare

Other Word Forms

• henlike adjective
• hennish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hen¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English hen(n) (compare Old English hana “cock”); cognate with German Henne; akin to Latin canere “to sing”; chant ( def. ), charm ¹ ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hen¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see mad as a hornet (wet hen); scarce as hen's teeth.

Example Sentences

“Suddenly with a plop, the egg landed on the straw. With clucks of pleasure the hen shook her feathers, nudged the egg with her beak, and left,” Goodall wrote almost 60 years later.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"We're trying to find an alternative ground in the local area but, speaking to Essex cricket, grounds are as rare as hen's teeth – it's very difficult to find one," Mr Carlton added.

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My steak was cooked perfectly and complemented by the numerous sides, which include hen of the woods mushrooms, Japanese sweet potato and hand-cut black truffle fries.

Read more on Salon

He was among five horses, four dogs, six puppies, 45 hens and roosters that were adopted by either Riverside County rescue partners or private adopters, according Sgt.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"Don't mind me, just choosing whether to attend or pay my rent for the next three months *crying face emoji*," wrote one TikTok user, in a video about expensive hen parties.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• chicken 
• duck 
• fowl 
• geese 
• pheasant 
• pigeon