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hen
[hen]
noun
a female chicken.
Our hens only recently started laying, but these fresh eggs were worth the wait!
the female of any bird, especially a gallinaceous bird.
The mallard drakes are splendidly colorful while the hens are camouflaged in drab plumage.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Scots Informal.an affectionate or familiar term of address to a girl or woman.
That’s lovely, hen, thank you.
hen
/ ɛ /
noun
the female of any bird, esp the adult female of the domestic fowl
the female of certain other animals, such as the lobster
informala woman regarded as gossipy or foolish
dialecta term of address (often affectionate), used to women and girls
extremely rare
Other Word Forms
- henlike adjective
- hennish adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of hen1
Word History and Origins
Origin of hen1
Idioms and Phrases
Example Sentences
A couple held their wedding at a hospital after an attempted "party trick" at the hen do led to the bride being paralysed.
“Boy! If I were outside right now I’d feel like hen caught in a tornado,” Miss Pickford laughed.
Glasner's message of caution before the FA Cup final, when talk of history was raised, was: "You don't talk about an egg until the hen has laid it."
"You don't talk about the egg before the hen has laid it."
In recent decades tracks were marketed to stag and hen parties, or as a fun office night out.
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