HEN - Definition & Meaning for Kids
Meaning 1
Part of speech: Noun
adult female chicken
Categories: Chicken, Gallus gallus
Meaning 2
Part of speech: Noun
adult female bird
Categories: Bird
Meaning 3
Part of speech: Noun
flesh of an older chicken suitable for stewing
Categories: Chicken, Poulet, Volaille
Meaning 4
Part of speech: Noun
female of certain aquatic animals e.g. octopus or lobster
Categories: Female
Synonyms
🌱 Word Origin (Etymology)
The word "hen" comes from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe-. It started in Proto-Germanic *hina. Then it appeared in Old English heonan. Later, people used it in Middle English henne. After that, it was Proto-Indo-European *kan-. Over time, it became Proto-Germanic *hanjō. Finally, it reached Proto-West Germanic *hannju. It started in Old English henn. Then it appeared in Middle English hen. Many other languages have similar words:.
- Dutch: hen
- West Frisian: hin
- German Low German: Heen
- German: Henne
- Icelandic: hæna
- Danish: høne
- Swedish: höna
- Old English: hana
- Dutch: heen
- German: hin
- Danish: hen
đź”— Related Words
hence – A related word in the same word family.
hen – A related word in the same word family.
hench – A related word in the same word family.
🧩 Fun Fact
This word traveled through multiple civilizations—each culture shaped its meaning slightly!