Hen Definition

hĕn

hens

noun

hens

The female of the domesticated chicken.

Webster's New World

The female of various other birds or of certain other animals, as the lobster.

Webster's New World

A woman, esp. an older woman.

Webster's New World

(informal) The woman whose impending marriage is being celebrated at a hen night.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

adverb

(dialectal) Hence.

Wiktionary

verb

(dialectal) To throw.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Hen

Singular:

hen

Plural:

hens

From Middle English henne, heonne, hinne, from earlier henene, heonenen, henen, from Old English heonan, hionan, heonane, heonone (“hence, from here, away, from how"), from Proto-Germanic *hina, *hinanō (“from here"), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe-, *ḱey- (“this, here"). Cognate with Dutch heen (“away"), German hin (“hence, from here"), Danish hen (“away, further, on"). See also hence.

From Wiktionary
From Middle English, from Old English henn, hænn (“hen, female chicken"), from Proto-Germanic *hanjō (“hen"), from Proto-Indo-European *kana- (“to sing"). Cognate with Dutch hen (“hen"), German Henne (“hen"), Icelandic hæna (“hen"). Related also to Old English hana (“cock, rooster").

From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old English kan- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From hen (“hence, away"), or a variant of hench.

From Wiktionary