Houdan

[ hoo-dan ]

/ ˈhu dæn /

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noun

one of a French breed of chickens having a V-shaped comb, five toes, and mottled or black plumage.

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Origin of Houdan

First recorded in 1870–75; after Houdan, village near Paris where these hens were bred

Words nearby Houdan

hot-work, hot yoga, hot zone, houbara, houdah, Houdan, Houdini, Houdini, Harry, Houdon, hough, houghmagandie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Houdan in a sentence

The breed takes its name from the town of Houdan, the center of a district in which this is the common type of fowl.
Our Domestic Birds|John H. Robinson
A houdan cockerel with bedraggled speckly plumage and a ragged crest hanging over one eye struts from doorstep to doorstep.
A Poor Man's House|Stephen Sydney Reynolds
Also the average degree of polydactylism is much greater in the Silkie than in the Houdan crosses.
Inheritance of Characteristics in Domestic Fowl|Charles Benedict Davenport
It is also clear that the offspring of Silkie crosses are more apt to be polydactyl than those of Houdan crosses.
Inheritance of Characteristics in Domestic Fowl|Charles Benedict Davenport

To summarize: "Potency," as measured by dominance of the extra-toed condition, is inherited, in the Houdan crosses at least.
Inheritance of Characteristics in Domestic Fowl|Charles Benedict Davenport

British Dictionary definitions for Houdan

Houdan

/ (ˈhuːdæn) /

noun

a breed of light domestic fowl originally from France, with a distinctive full crest

Word Origin for Houdan

C19: named after Houdan, village near Paris where the breed originated

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012