hen

hen — noun

1. a fully grown female chicken, especially one raised on a farm for the eggs it pr

1.nounA1
Definition

a fully grown female chicken, especially one raised on a farm for the eggs it produces

Example

Every morning, Jisoo gathers eggs from the hen house.

common farm context: hen house

The old hen sat on her eggs to keep them warm.

broody behaviour: sit on eggs

Common collocations
  • hen house
  • hen coop
  • broody hen
  • laying hen
  • hen egg
  • free-range hen
Synonyms
  • chicken

    generic term covering both males and females; less specific

  • layer

    a hen kept specifically for egg production; narrower in meaning

Antonyms
  • rooster

    adult male chicken

  • cock

    adult male chicken, more common in British English

Common Mistakes

I saw a hen crowing at dawn.
I saw a rooster crowing at dawn.
Only male chickens (roosters) crow; hens make clucking sounds, not crowing.

2. any female bird, used especially to distinguish a female from a male of the same

2.nounB1
Definition

any female bird, used especially to distinguish a female from a male of the same species when they look different

Example

The male peacock is colourful, but the hen is plain brown.

male/female contrast in birds

Nikhil spotted a hen mallard leading her ducklings across the pond.

Common collocations
  • hen bird
  • hen mallard
  • hen pheasant
  • hen blackbird
Synonyms
  • female bird

    more general and transparent; works for any bird species

Antonyms
  • cock

    male of certain bird species, especially game birds

Usage Note

Common in ornithology and birdwatching contexts. Not used for every bird species — it applies mainly to species where males and females have noticeably different appearances (sexual dimorphism).

Common Mistakes

A hen sparrow built a nest in the tree.
A female sparrow built a nest in the tree.
'Hen' for female birds is used mostly in bird-naming (hen mallard, hen pheasant), not in everyday talk about small garden birds.

3. a bride-to-be who is the guest of honour at a celebration with only female frien

3.nounB1
Definition

a bride-to-be who is the guest of honour at a celebration with only female friends shortly before the marriage

Example

The bride-to-be laughed with her friends at her hen party.

hen party context

Esteban surprised the hen with tickets to a comedy show.

Common collocations
  • hen party
  • hen do
  • hen night
  • hen celebration
Synonyms
  • bride-to-be

    more formal and general; not tied to the party context

  • bachelorette

    American English equivalent of a woman at her pre-wedding party

Antonyms
  • stag

    the man at his pre-wedding stag party

Usage Note

Primarily British and Commonwealth English. This sense only applies when the woman is the guest of honour at her own hen party, not someone else's. The equivalent event for men is a stag party or bachelor party.

Common Mistakes

My sister is a hen, so we held a party for her.
My sister is the hen at her hen party, so we held a party for her.
The word 'hen' in this sense is tied to the specific event context; it is not a standalone synonym for 'bride-to-be'.

4. an informal term used in Scotland and parts of Northern England for speaking dir

4.nounB2
Definition

an informal term used in Scotland and parts of Northern England for speaking directly and kindly to a female friend or acquaintance

Example

Thanks for the help, hen — I really appreciate it.

used as a form of address

Don't worry about it, hen, everything will work out fine.

Common collocations
  • thanks, hen
  • hen (at end of sentence)
Synonyms
  • dear

    more widely used term of endearment across all UK regions

  • love

    similar regional address term, used especially in Northern England

  • pet

    regional address term, common in North East England

Usage Note

Chiefly used in Scotland and Northern England. Not considered rude but highly informal — unsuitable for formal or professional settings. Similar in tone to 'love', 'dear', or 'pet' in other British regional dialects.

Common Mistakes

Good morning, hen,' the manager said to his female employee.
Good morning,' the manager said.
Using 'hen' to address someone at work can sound too informal or even condescending. It belongs among friends or in service encounters like shops and pubs.

5. a female creature that lives in water, such as a lobster, crab, fish, or octopus

5.nounC1
Definition

a female creature that lives in water, such as a lobster, crab, fish, or octopus, referred to when its sex is important for fishing, cooking, or biology

Example

A female lobster, called a hen, carries eggs under her tail.

common in seafood/fishing contexts

Fishermen release egg-bearing hen crabs to protect the population.

Common collocations
  • hen lobster
  • hen crab
  • hen fish
  • hen octopus
  • egg-bearing hen
Synonyms
  • female

    broader term that works for any animal, not just aquatic ones

Antonyms
  • cock

    male of certain aquatic animals such as lobsters and crabs

Usage Note

Technical or specialist register. Used in fishing, marine biology, and aquaculture. Not common in everyday conversation. Often appears as a modifier before the animal name (hen lobster, hen crab, hen fish).

Common Mistakes

I bought a hen at the supermarket for dinner.
I bought a hen lobster at the supermarket for dinner.
When referring to seafood, 'hen' almost always appears before the animal name, not on its own.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Hen, chicken, rooster, chick, and layer all relate to Gallus gallus domesticus but at different life stages and genders. A hen is specifically an adult female chicken, kept mainly for eggs. Chicken is the umbrella term — it covers both sexes and all ages, and is also the most common word for the meat. A rooster (or cock in British English) is an adult male, known for crowing and guarding the flock. A chick is a newly hatched baby, too young to tell its sex. A layer is a hen bred and raised specifically for egg production, a term used mostly by farmers. For example: 'The hen sat on her eggs while the rooster patrolled the yard. The chicks hatched three weeks later, and the farmer moved the layers to the bigger coop.'

hen ↗chicken ↗roosterchick ↗layer ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishGermanicEnglish

Hen comes from Old English henn, the feminine form of hana (rooster). It shares roots with German Henne and Dutch hen. The word has been used for female chickens since before the 12th century, and later broadened to cover females of other bird species, then to female aquatic animals in fishing, and finally to informal social meanings in modern British English.