marsh hen

noun

any of various rails or raillike birds.

Origin of marsh hen

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10

Words Nearby marsh hen

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

How to use marsh hen in a sentence

Is it known to the little marsh-hen that cunningly builds her nest at the foot of the sedges?
Virginia: The Old Dominion | Frank W. Hutchins and Cortelle Hutchins
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
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
In the meantime he would not rob that marsh hen's nest which he had found.
The Voice of the People | Ellen Glasgow

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

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