marsh hen

noun

any of various rails or raillike birds.

Words nearby marsh hen

marsh fever, marsh gas, marsh grass, marsh harrier, marsh hawk, marsh hen, marsh mallow, marsh marigold, marsh orchid, marsh pink, marsh tacky

Origin of marsh hen

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for marsh hen

Marsh-Hen, much the same as in Europe, only she makes another sort of Noise, and much shriller.
A New Voyage to Carolina|John Lawson
Sedge′-hen, a marsh-hen; Sedge′-war′bler, a reed-warbler, the sedge-wren.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for marsh hen

marsh hen

noun

any bird that frequents marshes and swamps, esp a rail, coot, or gallinule

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