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Definition of hen
hen
/hɛn/
hen
Plural:hens
hen Lexical Profile
CEFR
A2
Grade
2
Tier
1
Usage
Top 5k
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Scrabble US
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WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
An adult female bird, especially of a domestic fowl such as a chicken.
Example
"The farmer walked out to the coop every morning to collect fresh eggs from the hens."
2
British A woman or girl, often used as an informal term of address or specifically referring to a bride-to-be celebrating her upcoming wedding.
Example
"She booked a spa weekend for all her friends to celebrate her hen before the wedding."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for hen Antonyms
View all antonyms for hen• Rhymes for hen
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'henn', derived from Proto-Germanic '*hannjo' meaning 'female bird', which is the feminine form of '*hanan' (rooster).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Hen. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/hen