Hen

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Hen \Hen\, n. [AS. henn, hen, h[ae]n; akin to D. hen, OHG.
     henna, G. henne, Icel. h?na, Dan. h["o]na; 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}.] (Zool.)
     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]
  
     Note: Used adjectively or in combination to indicate the
           female; as, hen canary, hen eagle, hen turkey, peahen.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     {Hen clam}. (Zool.)
     (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} (Zool.), 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} (Zool.), 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.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  hen
       n 1: adult female chicken [syn: {biddy}]
       2: adult female bird
       3: flesh of an older chicken suitable for stewing
       4: female of certain aquatic animals e.g. octopus or lobster

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  82 Moby Thesaurus words for "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
  
  

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Hen
     common in later times among the Jews in Palestine (Matt. 23:37;
     Luke 13:34). It is noticeable that this familiar bird is only
     mentioned in these passages in connection with our Lord's
     lamentation over the impenitence of Jerusalem.
     

From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]:

  Hen, grace; quiet; rest