Hen
Hen , noun
[Anglo-Saxon henn, hen, han; akin to Dutch hen, Old High German henna, German henne, Icelandic h{not transcribed}na, Danish hona; the fem. corresponding to Anglo-Saxon hana cock, Dutch haan, Old High German hano, German hahn, Icelandic hani, Danish & Swedish hane. Probably akin to Latin canere to sing, and orig. meaning, a singer. Compare Chanticleer.]
(Zoology) The female of the domestic fowl; also, the female of grouse, pheasants, or any kind of birds; as, the heath hen; the gray hen.
Used adjectively or in combination to indicate the female; as, hen canary, hen eagle, hen turkey, peahen.
Collocations (4)
Hen clam (Zoology) , (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 (Zoology) , 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 (Zoology) , 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.