Hen

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

Hen, n. [AS. henn, hen, hæn; akin to D. hen, OHG. henna, G. henne, Icel. hna, Dan. höna; the fem. corresponding to AS. hana cock, D. haan, OHG. hano, G. hahn, Icel. hani, Dan. & Sw. hane. Prob. akin to L. canere to sing, and orig. meaning, a singer. Cf. Chanticleer.].

 The female of the domestic fowl; also, the female of grouse, pheasants, or any kind of birds; as, the heath hen; the gray hen.  [1913 Webster]
" Used adjectively or in combination to indicate the female; as, hen canary, hen eagle, hen turkey, peahen."  [1913 Webster]

Hen clam. (Zoöl.) (a) A clam of the Mactra, and allied genera; the sea clam or surf clam. See Surf clam. (b) A California clam of the genus Pachydesma. -- Hen driver. See Hen harrier (below). -- Hen harrier (Zoöl.), a hawk (Circus cyaneus), found in Europe and America; -- called also dove hawk, henharm, henharrow, hen driver, and usually, in America, marsh hawk. See Marsh hawk. -- Hen hawk (Zoöl.), one of several species of large hawks which capture hens; esp., the American red-tailed hawk (Buteo borealis), the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus), and the goshawk.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Hen, n.
1 a a female bird, esp. of a domestic fowl. b (in pl.) domestic fowls of either sex.
2 a female lobster or crab or salmon.

Idiom

hen and chickens any of several plants esp. the houseleek. hen-coop a coop for keeping fowls in. hen-harrier a common harrier, Circus cyaneus. hen-house a small shed for fowls to roost in. hen-party colloq. derog. a social gathering of women. hen-roost a place where fowls roost at night. hen-run an enclosure for fowls.

Etymology

OE henn f. WG

THESAURUS

Hen

Bantam, Jane, Partlet, banty, barn-door fowl, barnyard fowl, biddy, bird, bitch, bossy, broad, broiler, brood mare, brooder, broody hen, capon, chanticleer, chick, chickabiddy, chicken, chicky, cock, cockerel, cow, dame, doe, doll, domestic fowl, drake, duck, duckling, dunghill fowl, ewe, ewe lamb, filly, fowl, fryer, game fowl, gander, gobbler, goose, gosling, guinea cock, guinea fowl, guinea hen, gyp, heifer, hen turkey, hind, jenny, lioness, mare, minx, nanny, nanny goat, partlet, peahen, poulard, poult, poultry, pullet, roaster, roe, rooster, setting hen, she-bear, she-goat, she-lion, skirt, slut, sow, spring chicken, stewing chicken, tigress, tom, tom turkey, tomato, turkey, turkey gobbler, turkey-cock, vixen, wench

ROGET THESAURUS

Hen

Animal

N animal, animal kingdom, fauna, brute creation, beast, brute, creature, critter, wight, created being, creeping thing, living thing, dumb animal, dumb creature, zoophyte, mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, crustacean, shellfish, mollusk, worm, insect, arthropod, microbe, microbe, animalcule, alligator, crocodile, saurian, dinosaur (extinct), snake, serpent, viper, eft, asp, aspick, frog, toad, trout, bass, tuna, muskelunge, sailfish, sardine, mackerel, ant, mosquito, bee, honeybee, tardigrade, spider, biped, quadruped, webfoot, flocks and herds, live stock, domestic animals, wild animals, game, ferae naturae, beasts of the field, fowls of the air, denizens of the sea, black game, black grouse, blackcock, duck, grouse, plover, rail, snipe, horse, cattle, kine, ox, bull, bullock, cow, milch cow, calf, heifer, shorthorn, sheep, lamb, lambkin, ewe, ram, tup, pig, swine, boar, hog, sow, steer, stot, tag, teg, bison, buffalo, yak, zebu, dog, cat, dog, hound, pup, puppy, whelp, cur, mongrel, house dog, watch dog, sheep dog, shepherd's dog, sporting dog, fancy dog, lap dog, toy dog, bull dog, badger dog, mastiff, blood hound, grey hound, stag hound, deer hound, fox hound, otter hound, harrier, beagle, spaniel, pointer, setter, retriever, Newfoundland, water dog, water spaniel, pug, poodle, turnspit, terrier, fox terrier, Skye terrier, Dandie Dinmont, collie, feline, puss, pussy, grimalkin, gib cat, tom cat, fox, Reynard, vixen, stag, deer, hart, buck, doe, roe, caribou, coyote, elk, moose, musk ox, sambar, bird, poultry, fowl, cock, hen, chicken, chanticleer, partlet, rooster, dunghill cock, barn door fowl, feathered tribes, feathered songster, singing bird, dicky bird, canary, warbler, finch, aberdevine, cushat, cygnet, ringdove, siskin, swan, wood pigeon, vermin, varmint, pest, animal, zoological equine, bovine, vaccine, canine, feline, fishy, piscatory, piscatorial, molluscous, vermicular, gallinaceous, rasorial, solidungulate, soliped.

Woman

N woman, she, her, female, petticoat, feminality, muliebrity, womanhood, womankind, the sex, the fair, fair sex, softer sex, weaker vessel, dame, madam, madame, mistress, Mrs, lady, donna belle, matron, dowager, goody, gammer, Frau, frow, Vrouw, rani, good woman, good wife, squaw, wife, matronage, matronhood, bachelor girl, new woman, feminist, suffragette, suffragist, nymph, wench, grisette, girl, sissy, betty, cot betty, cotquean, henhussy, mollycoddle, muff, old woman, hen, bitch, sow, doe, roe, mare, she goat, Nanny goat, tabita, ewe, cow, lioness, tigress, vixen, gynecaeum, estrogen, oestrogen, consanguinity &c, paternity, lesbian, dyke, female, she-, feminine, womanly, ladylike, matronly, maidenly, wifely, womanish, effeminate, unmanly, gynecic, gynaecic, Pron, she, her, hers, ', a perfect woman nobly planned, a lovely lady garmented in white, das Ewig-Weibliche zieht uns hinan, earth's noblest thing, a woman perfected, es de vidrio la mujer, she moves a goddess and she looks a queen, the beauty of a lovely woman is like music, varium et mutabile semper femina, woman is the lesser man.