hen

hen
\ \ [OE] Etymologically, a hen is a ‘singing bird’. The word goes back ultimately to a prehistoric Germanic *khanonmale fowl, cock’, which was related to the Latin verb caneresing’ (source of English chant). In the West Germanic dialects a feminine form developed, *khannjō, which has become German henne, Dutch hen, Swedish höna, Danish høne, and English hen. (The original masculine form survives in German hahn, Dutch haan, and Swedish and Danish hane, but English has given it up – the Old English word was hana, and if it had survived to the present day it would probably be *hane.) The metaphorical extension of the term to any female bird took place in the 14th century.
\ \ Cf.CHANT

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Hen — Hen, n. [AS. henn, hen, h[ae]n; akin to D. hen, OHG. henna, G. henne, Icel. h?na, Dan. h[ o]na; the fem. corresponding to AS. hana cock, D. haan, OHG. hano, G. hahn, Icel. hani, Dan. & Sw. hane. Prob. akin to L. canere to sing, and orig. meaning …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hen — may refer to: *Hen (bird), a female bird, a female of any member of the bird family, including species of poultry, duck, fowl, ostrich or emu. *Hen, specifically a female adult chicken *Hen, a female octopus or lobster *Hen (slang), a woman *Hen …   Wikipedia

  • hen — O.E. henn, from W.Gmc. *khannjo (Cf. O.Fris. henn, M.Du. henne, O.H.G. henna), fem. of *han(e)ni male fowl, cock (Cf. O.E. hana cock ), lit. bird who sings (for sunrise), from PIE root *kan to sing (see CHANT (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • hen — {{/stl 13}}{{stl 8}}przysł. {{/stl 8}}{{stl 7}} wyraz o zabarwieniu emocjonalnym, czasem powtórzony, zwykle wzmacniający znaczenie innego określenia przestrzennego użytego w zdaniu, oznaczający znaczne oddalenie tego, o czym mowa, od jakiegoś… …   Langenscheidt Polski wyjaśnień

  • hen — adv.; hen ad el. henad aften (jf. henad); hen imod el. henimod de tres (jf. henimod); hen ved el. henved klokken fem (jf. henved); hen under el. henunder aften (jf. henunder); siden hen el. sidenhen …   Dansk ordbog

  • Hen — 変 Type seinen Genre romance Manga : Strange Auteur Hiroya Oku Éditeur …   Wikipédia en Français

  • hen ad — hen ad; gå hen ad el. henad vejen; hen ad el. henad aften (jf. § 19. Skrivemåden uafhængig af udtalen.1.a) …   Dansk ordbog

  • hen — [ hen ] noun count 1. ) a female chicken 2. ) often before noun the female of any type of bird: a hen pheasant …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • hen — ► NOUN 1) a female bird, especially of a domestic fowl. 2) (hens) domestic fowls of either sex. ● as rare (or scarce) as hen s teeth Cf. ↑as scarce as hen s teeth ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • Hen — (griech ἓν), eins; hen kai pān (ἓν ϰαὶ πᾶν) eins und alles …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Hen- — [griech. hén = einer]: Zahlwort mit der Bed. »eins« in zusammengesetzten Zahlwortstämmen, z. B. Henicos , Hentriacont (Ausnahme: C11; ↑ Undec ) …   Universal-Lexikon

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