hen
noun
ˈhen 
1
a
: a female chicken especially over a year old
broadly : a female bird
b
: the female of various mostly aquatic animals (such as lobsters or fish)
2
: woman
especially : a fussy middle-aged woman
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web According to Daily Mail Australia, the hen's night — which is the party where all the brides meet each other for the first time — was filmed at Centennial Park's $15 million The Crossways estate in Sydney. 
Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 17 Aug. 2022 Insert a piece of white chicken wire behind the hen's body, then adhere twigs with hot-glue to create legs and feet. Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 15 July 2022 Effectively Johnson put a fox in charge of the hen house. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 7 July 2022 Chefs can boil the hen for a longer time while still maintaining its shape and consistency. Antonia Mufarech, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2022 On Monday evening, the storms began along Interstate 94 between Madison and Milwaukee, dropping hen egg-size hail before shifting over Lake Michigan. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 14 June 2022 Over the Plains, initial supercells could produce hail to the size of hen eggs and wind gusts to 75 mph, along with an isolated brief tornado, before a more widespread wind risk with the nascent MCS. Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 8 June 2022 Under the investments announced last week, Cal-Maine will build four new cage-free hen houses and convert two pullet houses in Utah for a total capacity of 810,000 cage-free layer hens. Kristin Broughton, WSJ, 4 Apr. 2022 Proposition 12 required producers to provide at least 24 square feet of floor space for each breeding pig, 1 square foot for each egg-laying hen, and 43 square feet of floor space for calves raised for veal. Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2022 See More
Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 17 Aug. 2022 Insert a piece of white chicken wire behind the hen's body, then adhere twigs with hot-glue to create legs and feet. Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 15 July 2022 Effectively Johnson put a fox in charge of the hen house. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 7 July 2022 Chefs can boil the hen for a longer time while still maintaining its shape and consistency. Antonia Mufarech, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2022 On Monday evening, the storms began along Interstate 94 between Madison and Milwaukee, dropping hen egg-size hail before shifting over Lake Michigan. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 14 June 2022 Over the Plains, initial supercells could produce hail to the size of hen eggs and wind gusts to 75 mph, along with an isolated brief tornado, before a more widespread wind risk with the nascent MCS. Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 8 June 2022 Under the investments announced last week, Cal-Maine will build four new cage-free hen houses and convert two pullet houses in Utah for a total capacity of 810,000 cage-free layer hens. Kristin Broughton, WSJ, 4 Apr. 2022 Proposition 12 required producers to provide at least 24 square feet of floor space for each breeding pig, 1 square foot for each egg-laying hen, and 43 square feet of floor space for calves raised for veal. Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English henn; akin to Old English hana rooster — more at chant
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing hen
Kids Definition
hen
noun
ˈhen
1
: a female domestic fowl
2
: a female bird