Meaning of hen | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A female chicken (Gallus gallus), especially a sexually mature one kept for her eggs
2. A female chicken (Gallus gallus), especially a sexually mature one kept for her eggs.
3. A female of other bird species, particularly a sexually mature female fowl
4. A female of other bird species, particularly a sexually mature female fowl.
5. A female fish (especially a salmon or trout) or crustacean
6. A female fish (especially a salmon or trout) or crustacean.
   uncommon
7. A woman. A bride-to-be, particularly in the context of a hen night
8. A woman.
   figuratively
9. A bride-to-be, particularly in the context of a hen night
10. A bride-to-be, particularly in the context of a hen night.
    UK, figuratively, informal
11. A hen night.
    UK, informal
12. An affectionate term of address used to women or girls.
    Scotland, informal
13. The penis of a trans woman.
14. A henlike person of either sex.
    derogatory, figuratively, uncommon
15. The hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), a bivalve shellfish.
16. A large pewter pot used in a tavern.
    obsolete

Equivalents

Examples

“She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.”

“In Tain, north of Inverness, staff detected 11 males and at least seven hens – the highest number there since 2011.”

“As spawning time approaches – autumn or very early winter in most rivers, though in some late-run streams salmon may spawn as late as January or February – the hen's colouration becomes first a matt-pewter and then a drab dark brown-grey. The cock fish, in contrast, begins to gain some brighter colours.”

“Hen, a woman. A cock and hen club; a club composed of men and women.”

“Don't cry, hen. Everything will be all right.”

“Coordinate term: cock”

CEFR level