water hen

American  

Or waterhen

noun

1. moorhen.

2. the American coot, Fulica americana.

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water hen British  

noun

1. another name for gallinule

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Etymology

Origin of water hen

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

“The devil a one of me can see anything or any one, except a fox scampering through the boreen beyond, with a water hen in his mouth,” said Micus.

From The Whale and the Grasshopper And other Fables by O'Brien, Seumas

At that moment she heard a noise at her feet which frightened her and a water hen jumped into the water, terrified.

From Nobody's Girl (En Famille) by Crewe-Jones, Florence

They went back to the house together; and in the meantime, Thomas Chatterton, who was not a skilful angler, whipped several pools unsuccessfully, hooking nothing but weeds, and once, by accident, a water hen.

From The League of the Leopard by Bindloss, Harold

Then a green swamp; through the tall reeds the native companion, king of cranes, waded majestic; the brilliant porphyry water hen, with scarlet bill and legs, flashed like a sapphire among the emerald green water-sedge.

From Recollections of Geoffrey Hamlyn by Kingsley, Henry

The magpie's nest is made with thorns,     In leafless tree or hedge;   The wild duck and the water hen     Build by the water's edge.

From Twilight and Dawn Simple Talks on the Six Days of Creation by Pridham, Caroline