chicken
chicken Lexical Profile
chicken Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A widespread domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus) kept primarily for its eggs and meat.
"The farmer goes out to the coop every morning to feed the chickens."
The meat of a domestic fowl, prepared and consumed as food.
"We are roasting a chicken with potatoes and herbs for dinner tonight."
A coward; a person who lacks the courage to do something dangerous or difficult.
"He called me a chicken when I refused to jump from the high diving board."
• verb
To lose one's nerve or courage, often resulting in abandoning a planned action (usually used with 'out').
"She wanted to ask for a promotion but chickened out at the last minute."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as a verb, 'chicken' is almost exclusively followed by the particle 'out' (to chicken out) to denote backing down from fear.
• Rhymes for chicken
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'cīcen', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'kieken' and English 'cock', historically combined with the diminutive suffix '-en'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.