water hen

or wa·ter·hen

noun

moorhen (def. 1).
the American coot, Fulica americana.

Origin of water hen

First recorded in 1520–30

Words Nearby water hen

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

How to use water hen in a sentence

The little black water-hen came out of the river and they fed it.
The King of Ireland's Son | Padraic Colum
They also saw two species of ibis wading about in the marsh, and a gigantic water-hen almost as big as a turkey.
Popular Adventure Tales | Mayne Reid
The white-breasted water-hen (Gallinula phoenicura) is a bird that must be familiar to all.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India | Douglas Dewar
The water-hen is a black bird about the size of the average bazaar fowl, with a white face, throat and breast.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India | Douglas Dewar
You may test this whenever you have the good fortune to capture a young water-hen.
Birds in Flight | W. P. Pycraft

British Dictionary definitions for water hen

water hen

noun

another name for 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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