˜yÐÄvlog

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View synonyms for

hen

[ hen ]

noun

  1. a female chicken:

    Our hens only recently started laying, but these fresh eggs were worth the wait!

  2. the female of any bird, especially a gallinaceous bird:

    The mallard drakes are splendidly colorful while the hens are camouflaged in drab plumage.

  3. the female of certain marine creatures, including lobsters and salmon:

    I prefer a hen when making lobster bisque, as the dark red roe enhances both flavor and color.

  4. Informal: Sometimes Offensive. a usually middle-aged or older woman, especially one who is considered to be petty or gossipy:

    Let’s get out of here and leave the hens to their blather.

  5. Informal. a female in attendance at a hen party:

    The incident at the restaurant occurred hours after our party was over and we’d all gone home, but all of us hens were brought in for questioning the next morning.

  6. British and Australian Informal. the bride-to-be at a bachelorette party:

    A toast to Vera, the beautiful hen, who’s flying our coop in less than a fortnight!

  7. Scots Informal. an affectionate or familiar term of address to a girl or woman:

    That’s lovely, hen, thank you.



hen

/ ³óÉ›²Ô /

noun

  1. the female of any bird, esp the adult female of the domestic fowl
  2. the female of certain other animals, such as the lobster
  3. informal.
    a woman regarded as gossipy or foolish
  4. dialect.
    a term of address (often affectionate), used to women and girls
  5. scarce as hen's teeth
    extremely rare
“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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Other ˜yÐÄvlog Forms

  • ³ó±ð²Ô·±ô¾±°ì±ð adjective
  • ³ó±ð²Ô·²Ô¾±²õ³ó adjective
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of hen1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English hen(n) (compare Old English hana “cockâ€); cognate with German Henne; akin to Latin canere “to singâ€; chant ( def ), charm 1( def )
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of hen1

Old English henn; related to Old High German henna, Old Frisian henne
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Idioms and Phrases

see mad as a hornet (wet hen) ; scarce as hen's teeth .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Known as the Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act, the 2018 ballot measure establishes minimum space requirements for egg-laying hens, breeding pigs and calves raised for veal.

From

Stag and hen dos, which tend to gravitate to comedy nights, can bring such chaos.

From

When Russo was able to return briefly to her property, she found that a hen, four chicks and a rooster were gone.

From

The detection of avian flu is higher in the fall and spring because wild birds spread the virus to laying hens as they migrate to their seasonal homes, expert say.

From

Chickens and hens are incredibly resilient and will cope with a bit of cold weather just fine, the British Hen Welfare Trust, external says.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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