hen

From Proto-Brythonic *hen, from Proto-Celtic *senos, from Proto-Indo-European *sénos.


hen

hen (auxiliary)
haban (alternative)
håm (alternative)

From Middle High German haben, from Old High German hāben, from Proto-West Germanic *habbjan, from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to have; to hold”). Cognate with German haben, English have.


hen

From Proto-Brythonic *hen, from Proto-Celtic *senos.


hen

Gå hen til din far.

Hestene går hen imod mig.

Used with a verb, indicating a movement towards or to something.

From Middle Low German hen, ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *hiz (“here”). Related to Swedish hän, English hence, and German hin.


hen

them; third-person plural objective personal pronoun

ik (first-person personal pronoun singular stressed subjective)
'k (first-person personal pronoun singular subjective unstressed)
mij (first-person objective personal pronoun singular stressed)
me (first-person objective personal pronoun singular unstressed)
mijn (first-person personal possessive pronoun singular stressed)
m'n (first-person personal possessive pronoun singular unstressed)
mijne (first-person personal possessive predicative pronoun)
me (first-person personal possessive predicative pronoun reflexive)
mijner (archaic first-person genitive personal predicative pronoun)
mijns (archaic first-person genitive personal predicative pronoun)
jij (personal pronoun second-person singular stressed subjective)
je (personal pronoun second-person singular subjective unstressed)
jou (objective personal pronoun second-person singular stressed)
je (objective personal pronoun second-person singular unstressed)
jouw (personal possessive pronoun second-person singular stressed)
je (personal possessive pronoun second-person singular unstressed)
jouwe (personal possessive predicative pronoun second-person)
je (personal possessive predicative pronoun reflexive second-person)
jouwer (archaic genitive personal predicative pronoun second-person)
jouws (archaic genitive personal predicative pronoun second-person)
gij (archaic dialectal personal pronoun second-person singular stressed subjective)
ge (archaic dialectal personal pronoun second-person singular subjective unstressed)
u (archaic dialectal objective personal pronoun second-person singular stressed)
uw (archaic dialectal personal possessive pronoun second-person singular stressed)
uwe (archaic dialectal personal possessive predicative pronoun second-person)
u (archaic dialectal personal possessive predicative pronoun reflexive second-person)
uwer (archaic dialectal genitive personal predicative pronoun second-person)
uws (archaic dialectal genitive personal predicative pronoun second-person)
u (formal personal pronoun second-person singular stressed subjective)
u (formal objective personal pronoun second-person singular stressed)
uw (formal personal possessive pronoun second-person singular stressed)
uwe (formal personal possessive predicative pronoun second-person)
u (formal personal possessive predicative pronoun reflexive second-person)
zich (formal personal possessive predicative pronoun reflexive second-person)
uwer (archaic formal genitive personal predicative pronoun second-person)
uws (archaic formal genitive personal predicative pronoun second-person)
hij (masculine personal pronoun singular stressed subjective third-person)
ie (masculine personal pronoun singular subjective third-person unstressed)
hem (masculine objective personal pronoun singular stressed third-person)
'm (masculine objective personal pronoun singular third-person unstressed)
zijn (masculine personal possessive pronoun singular stressed third-person)
z'n (masculine personal possessive pronoun singular third-person unstressed)
zijne (masculine personal possessive predicative pronoun third-person)
zich (masculine personal possessive predicative pronoun reflexive third-person)
zijner (archaic genitive masculine personal predicative pronoun third-person)
zijns (archaic genitive masculine personal predicative pronoun third-person)
zij (feminine personal pronoun singular stressed subjective third-person)
ze (feminine personal pronoun singular subjective third-person unstressed)
haar (feminine objective personal pronoun singular stressed third-person)
h'r (feminine objective personal pronoun singular third-person unstressed)
'r (feminine objective personal pronoun singular third-person unstressed)
d'r (feminine objective personal pronoun singular third-person unstressed)
haar (feminine personal possessive pronoun singular stressed third-person)
h'r (feminine personal possessive pronoun singular third-person unstressed)
'r (feminine personal possessive pronoun singular third-person unstressed)
d'r (feminine personal possessive pronoun singular third-person unstressed)
hare (feminine personal possessive predicative pronoun third-person)
zich (feminine personal possessive predicative pronoun reflexive third-person)
harer (archaic feminine genitive personal predicative pronoun third-person)
haars (archaic feminine genitive personal predicative pronoun third-person)
het (neuter personal pronoun singular stressed subjective third-person)
't (neuter personal pronoun singular subjective third-person unstressed)
het (neuter objective personal pronoun singular stressed third-person)
't (neuter objective personal pronoun singular third-person unstressed)
zijn (neuter personal possessive pronoun singular stressed third-person)
z'n (neuter personal possessive pronoun singular third-person unstressed)
zijne (neuter personal possessive predicative pronoun third-person)
zich (neuter personal possessive predicative pronoun reflexive third-person)
zijner (archaic genitive neuter personal predicative pronoun third-person)
zijns (archaic genitive neuter personal predicative pronoun third-person)
wij (first-person personal plural pronoun stressed)
we (first-person personal plural pronoun unstressed)
ons (first-person personal plural pronoun stressed)
onze (first-person personal plural pronoun stressed)
onze (first-person personal plural possessive predicative pronoun)
ons (first-person personal plural possessive predicative pronoun reflexive)
onzer (archaic first-person genitive personal plural predicative pronoun)
onzes (archaic first-person genitive personal plural predicative pronoun)
jullie (personal plural pronoun second-person stressed)
je (personal plural pronoun second-person unstressed)
je (personal plural possessive predicative pronoun reflexive second-person)
gij (archaic dialectal personal plural pronoun second-person stressed)
ge (archaic dialectal personal plural pronoun second-person unstressed)
u (archaic dialectal personal plural pronoun second-person stressed)
uw (archaic dialectal personal plural pronoun second-person stressed)
uwe (archaic dialectal personal plural possessive predicative pronoun second-person)
u (archaic dialectal personal plural possessive predicative pronoun reflexive second-person)
uwer (archaic dialectal genitive personal plural predicative pronoun second-person)
uws (archaic dialectal genitive personal plural predicative pronoun second-person)
u (formal personal plural pronoun second-person stressed)
uw (formal personal plural pronoun second-person stressed)
uwe (formal personal plural possessive predicative pronoun second-person)
u (formal personal plural possessive predicative pronoun reflexive second-person)
zich (formal personal plural possessive predicative pronoun reflexive second-person)
uwer (archaic formal genitive personal plural predicative pronoun second-person)
uws (archaic formal genitive personal plural predicative pronoun second-person)
zij (personal plural pronoun stressed third-person)
ze (personal plural pronoun third-person unstressed)
hen (personal plural pronoun stressed third-person)
hun (personal plural pronoun stressed third-person)
hunne (personal plural possessive predicative pronoun third-person)
zich (personal plural possessive predicative pronoun reflexive third-person)
hunner (archaic genitive personal plural predicative pronoun third-person)
huns (archaic genitive personal plural predicative pronoun third-person)

From Old Dutch hin, from Proto-Germanic *himaz.


hen

hen, female chicken; female of a related species

a female of the species of birds brooding on the ground

(figuratively) 'bird', colloquial term for a human female

nl-noun

hen f (plural hennen, diminutive hennetje n, masculine haan)

hennen (plural)
hennetje (diminutive neuter)
haan (masculine)

Afrikaans: hen

Jersey Dutch: hän

From Middle Dutch henne, from Old Dutch *henna, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic *hanjō, from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n- (“to sing”).


hen

(gender-neutral, nonstandard) they (singular) (subject pronoun). A gender-neutral singular third-person personal pronoun.

(gender-neutral, nonstandard) them (singular) (object pronoun). A gender-neutral singular third-person personal pronoun.

Chosen in an online poll by Transgender Netwerk Nederland in 2016. The alternative die arose from the same poll.


hen

She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

Coordinate term: cock

Gallus gallus
Gallus gallus#Translingual

A female chicken (Gallus gallus), particularly a sexually mature one kept for her eggs.

Coordinate term: cock

In Tain, north of Inverness, staff detected 11 males and at least seven hens – the highest number there since 2011.

2023 June 17, Severin Carrell, “Dancing Capercaillie bird makes a tentative comeback in Scotland”, in The Guardian:

A female of other bird species, particularly a sexually mature female fowl.

As spawning time approaches – autumn or very early winter in most rivers, though in some late-run streams salmon may spawn as late as January or February – the hen's colouration becomes first a matt-pewter and then a drab dark brown-grey. The cock fish, in contrast, begins to gain some brighter colours.

2005, Roderick Sutterby, Malcolm Greenhalgh, “Life in the Nursery”, in Atlantic Salmon: An Illustrated Natural History, Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, →ISBN, page 21:

(uncommon) A female fish (especially a salmon or trout) or crustacean.

Hen, a woman. A cock and hen club; a club composed of men and women.

1785, Francis Grose, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue:

(UK, informal) A bride-to-be, particularly in the context of a hen night.

Don't cry, hen. Everything will be all right.

(Scotland, informal) An affectionate term of address used to women or girls.

Coordinate term: cock

(transgender slang) The penis of a trans woman.

(figuratively, derogatory, uncommon) A henlike person of either sex.

Mercenaria mercenaria
Mercenaria mercenaria#Translingual

The hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), a bivalve shellfish.

Coordinate term: chicken

(obsolete) A large pewter pot used in a tavern.

Weibchen

generic term for the female of any animal

From Middle English hen, from Old English henn (“hen”), from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic *hanjō (“hen”), from Proto-Indo-European *kan-, *kana- (“to sing”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hanne (“hen”), West Frisian hin (“hen”), Dutch hen (“hen”), German Low German Heen (“hen”), German Henne (“hen”), Danish høne (“hen”), Swedish höna (“hen”), Icelandic hæna (“hen”). Related to Old English hana (“cock, rooster”). Also cognate to Latin cicōnia (“stork”), Latin canō (“to sing”), Russian каню́к (kanjúk, “buzzard”). Compare Russian пету́х (petúx, “rooster, cock”) from Russian петь (petʹ, “to sing”).
Sense 7 after cock (“male chicken; man's penis”).


hen

Once he had flared up, "If ever a man was henned, it's me!"

Mammy henned the black workers into placing the trunks beside the girls.

1984, Susan C. Feldhake, Love Beyond Surrender, page 52:

en-verb

hen (third-person singular simple present hens, present participle henning, simple past and past participle henned)

hens (present singular third-person)
henning (participle present)
henned (participle past)
henned (past)
henne (alternative)


hen

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.


hen

hens (present singular third-person)
henning (participle present)
henned (participle past)
henned (past)

From hen (“hence, away”), or a variant of hench.


hen

genitive singular of he (“he (a letter of some Semitic alphabets)”)


hen

enm-noun

hen (plural hennes or hennen, genitive hennes or henne)

hennes (plural)
hennen (plural)
hennes (genitive)
henne (genitive)
henne (alternative)
hene (alternative)
han (alternative)
en (alternative)
heene (alternative)

English: hen

Scots: hen

Yola: hen, hin

From Old English henn, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic *hanjō.


hen

used with a verb, indicating a movement towards or to something.


hen

Hvis noen kjører over fartsgrensen, må hen betale en bot.

If someone exceeds the speed limit, they must pay a fine.

Kommer studenten for sent, må hen vente ute.

If the student comes too late, they have to wait outside.

Har du nummeret hens?

head

<i class="Latn mention" lang="en">possessive</i>

hen (third person singular gender-neutral personal pronoun, possessive hens)


hen

Kjem studenten for seint, må hen venta ute.

Har du nummeret hens?


hen

heń (alternative)
hań (alternative)
haj (alternative)


hen

Breton: hen

Cornish: hen

Welsh: hen

From Proto-Celtic *senos, from Proto-Indo-European *sénos.


hen

Alright Mary hen?


hen

Alla skilsmässor och separationer är olika. Men i nästan samtliga är det i slutändan någon som blir lämnad och någon som lämnar. Ingen av de rollerna är enkel. Fast det är när den som lämnar gör det för att hen har träffat någon annan […]

2011, Anders Lokko, “En sång om att ha följt sitt hjärta”, in Svenska Dagbladet:

All divorces and separations are different. But in almost all cases, someone is left behind or someone leaves. None of those roles are easy. However, it's when the one who does leaves because they have met someone else […]

I efterhand har hen förstått att det förmodligen har att göra med att hen aldrig riktigt accepterat att det bara skulle finnas två kön.

2011, Lotten Wiklund, “Jag vill vara hen – inte hon eller han”, in Dagens Nyheter, archived from the original on 2013-06-02:

In hindsight, they have come to understand that it probably has to do with the fact that they have never accepted that there are just two genders.

[…]ska hen få en hund, kan de halvt säkert lova[…]

2012, Jesper Lundqvist, Kivi och Monsterhund:

[…]then they will get a dog, they can almost promise[…]

– Målet är att varje individ ska få det stöd hen behöver för att så snabbt som möjligt lära sig svenska, komma i arbete och klara sin egen försörjning, sade den nyblivna jämställdhetsministern.

2013, Lova Olsson, “Arnholm lanserar 'hen' i riksdagen”, in Svenska Dagbladet:

– The goal is to make sure that every individual should receive the support they need to learn Swedish, start working and manage to support themselves as soon as possible, said the newly appointed Minister of Gender Equality.

– En person i personalen som sliter i och skäller på barnen, hotar med stryk och skrämmer dem med det hen vet att de är rädda för.

2013, Ann-Marie Begler, Caroline Dyrefors Grufman, “Flera allvarliga kränkningar i skolan de senaste veckorna”, in Dagens Nyheter:

– A person on the staff pushes around and yells at the children, threatens with violence and frightens them with things they know they are afraid of.

Vill hen att du ska chansa, eller ta det lugnt?

2014, Nina Åkestam, Meningen med hela skiten:

Do they want you to gamble or to take it easy?

Hens utgångspunkt är alltid större och mera allomfattande än så.

2015, Ami Sundeman, Anna Lytsy, Kosmosdialogerna:

Their starting point is always greater and more all-encompassing than that.

(neologism) A third-person singular pronoun of unspecified gender; they, thon; alternative to hon (“she”) and han (“he”).

<i class="Latn mention" lang="en">oblique</i>

<i class="Latn mention" lang="en">possessive</i>

hen (third person singular gender-neutral personal pronoun, oblique hen or henom, possessive hens)

hen (oblique)
henom (oblique)
hens (possessive)

Svenska Dagbladet
Upsala Nya Tidning
hen (pronoun)

Created as an alternative to hon (“she”) and han (“he”). The coining of the word has probably been influenced by the Finnish hän, a personal pronoun used about human beings and which does not specify gender (Finnish lacks grammatical gender entirely). Hen was suggested as early as 1966 by linguist Rolf Dunås in Swedish regional newspaper Upsala Nya Tidning and was proposed again in a 1994 article by linguist Hans Karlgren, but did not receive widespread attention until around 2010.


hen

(archaic, dialectal) a whetstone, particularly the small and soft kind.

hen (indefinite nominative singular)
hens (genitive indefinite singular)
henen (definite nominative singular)
henens (definite genitive singular)
henar (indefinite nominative plural)
henars (genitive indefinite plural)
henarna (definite nominative plural)
henarnas (definite genitive plural)

From Old Norse hein, from Proto-Germanic *hainō.
Related to Norwegian and Icelandic hein (“whetstone”), Old English hān (“stone, rock”) and modern English hone. Further related to Sanskrit शाण (śāṇa) and Latin cōs with the same meaning. See also (dialectal) Swedish hena (“to hone”).


hen

hen (nominative singular)
henod (nominative plural)
henon (accusative singular)
henod (accusative plural)
henon (genitive singular)
henoiden (genitive plural)
henod (partitive singular)
henoid (partitive plural)
henon (essive-instructive singular)
henoin (essive-instructive plural)
henoks (singular translative)
henoikš (plural translative)
henos (inessive singular)
henoiš (inessive plural)
henospäi (elative singular)
henoišpäi (elative plural)
henoho (illative singular)
henoihe (illative plural)
henol (adessive singular)
henoil (adessive plural)
henolpäi (ablative singular)
henoilpäi (ablative plural)
henole (allative singular)
henoile (allative plural)
henota (abessive singular)
henoita (abessive plural)
henonke (comitative singular)
henoidenke (comitative plural)
henodme (prolative singular)
henoidme (plural prolative)
henonno (approximative approximative-i singular)
henoidenno (approximative approximative-i plural)
henonnoks (approximative approximative-ii singular)
henoidennoks (approximative approximative-ii plural)
henonnopäi (egressive singular)
henoidennopäi (egressive plural)
henohosai (singular terminative terminative-i)
henoihesai (plural terminative terminative-i)
henolesai (singular terminative terminative-ii)
henoilesai (plural terminative terminative-ii)
henossai (singular terminative terminative-iii)
henohopäi (additive additive-i singular)
henoihepäi (additive additive-i plural)
henolepäi (additive additive-ii singular)
henoilepäi (additive additive-ii plural)

From Proto-Finnic *hëëno. Cognates include Finnish hieno.


hen

Cognate with Kuy [Salavan] hɛːn ("to cough").


hen

old, aged; ancient, antique, pristine, former; inveterate, chronic; original; senior, elder

unreformed, old, traditional (of style or mode of expressing dates according to the Julian Calendar); reckoned according to the Old Style (of festival)

cy-adj

hen (feminine singular hen, plural henion, equative hyned, comparative hŷn or hynach or henach, superlative hynaf or henaf, not mutable)

hen (feminine singular)
henion (plural)
hyned (equative)
hŷn (comparative)
hynach (comparative)
henach (comparative)
hynaf (superlative)
henaf (superlative)

hawdd cynnau tân ar hen aelwyd

it is easy to rekindle love with an old flame

Hen Ogledd

Old North (Brittonic southern Scotland and northern England)


hen

Coordinate term: cuck

Hea pryet ich mought na ha chicke or hen,

1867, “CASTEALE CUDDE'S LAMENTATION”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 4, page 104:

He prayed I might not have chicken nor hen,

From Middle English hen, from Old English henn, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju.