Hen
/hɛn/
Definitions
A female chicken, raised for its eggs or meat.
/hɛn/
A female chicken.
The hen pecked at the ground, searching for seeds.
💡 Simply: A hen is like the mom of a chicken family! It's a female chicken that lays the eggs we eat for breakfast. Picture a fluffy, clucking bird in a farmyard, and that's a hen!
👶 For kids: A hen is a girl chicken that lays eggs!
More Examples
We have several hens in our backyard that provide us with fresh eggs.
The farmer was proud of his healthy hens.
How It's Used
"The farmer collected eggs from the hen every morning."
"The children loved feeding the hen and watching it peck at the ground."
From Old English *hen, hen, *henn, feminine of *hana 'cock'. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hanō, related to Proto-Indo-European *kan- 'to sing'.
The word 'hen' has been used since Old English times, primarily to refer to the female of the domestic fowl.
Memory tip
Think of a *hen* laying *eggs*!