"mother hen" meaning in All languages combined

See mother hen on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Audio: En-au-mother hen.ogg Forms: mother hens [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} mother hen (plural mother hens)
  1. (literally) A female chicken who bears eggs or chicks. Tags: literally Translations (female chicken): lloca [feminine] (Catalan), Glucke [feminine] (German), tyúkanyó (Hungarian), kotlós (Hungarian), cloșcă (Romanian), gallina [feminine] (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-mother_hen-en-noun-I85Wh0pS Disambiguation of 'female chicken': 96 4
  2. (idiomatic) An outspoken and overprotective woman or person dealing with others' affairs; especially, an assertive matriarch. Tags: idiomatic Categories (topical): People Hyponyms: helicopter mom, helicopter parent [feminine] Related terms: mother-hen [verb], henpecked Translations (overprotective woman): lloca [feminine] (Catalan), moederkloek [feminine] (Dutch), mère poule [feminine] (French), Glucke [feminine] (German), cearc ghoir [feminine] (Irish), mamma chioccia [feminine] (Italian), клу́ша (klúša) [feminine] (Russian), hönsmamma [common-gender] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-mother_hen-en-noun-Yq0IX2c- Disambiguation of People: 36 52 12 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Irish translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Romanian translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 4 56 41 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 6 66 28 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 4 56 40 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 3 62 35 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 8 65 27 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 7 64 28 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 7 64 30 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 6 66 28 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 9 69 22 Disambiguation of Terms with Irish translations: 8 65 27 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 5 66 28 Disambiguation of Terms with Romanian translations: 8 65 27 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 5 66 28 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 5 68 27 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 7 67 26 Disambiguation of 'overprotective woman': 0 100

Verb [English]

Audio: En-au-mother hen.ogg Forms: mother hens [present, singular, third-person], mother henning [participle, present], mother henned [participle, past], mother henned [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|++}} mother hen (third-person singular simple present mother hens, present participle mother henning, simple past and past participle mother henned)
  1. Alternative form of mother-hen Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: mother-hen Related terms: hen
    Sense id: en-mother_hen-en-verb-ZAIJdGXa

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mother hens",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "mother hen (plural mother hens)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A female chicken who bears eggs or chicks."
      ],
      "id": "en-mother_hen-en-noun-I85Wh0pS",
      "links": [
        [
          "chicken",
          "chicken"
        ],
        [
          "eggs",
          "eggs"
        ],
        [
          "chick",
          "chick"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(literally) A female chicken who bears eggs or chicks."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "literally"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "female chicken",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "lloca"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "female chicken",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Glucke"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "female chicken",
          "word": "tyúkanyó"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "female chicken",
          "word": "kotlós"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "female chicken",
          "word": "cloșcă"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "female chicken",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "gallina"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "4 56 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 66 28",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "4 56 40",
          "kind": "other",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "3 62 35",
          "kind": "other",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 65 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Catalan translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 64 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 64 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 66 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 69 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 65 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Irish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "5 66 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 65 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "5 66 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "5 68 27",
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 67 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "36 52 12",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2022 October 10, Jenna Scherer, “House Of The Dragon drops its best episode yet”, in AV Club:",
          "text": "Baela sends a letter by raven to her father Daemon spilling all the tea, and the news sends a now-pregnant Rhaenyra into mother-hen mode.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An outspoken and overprotective woman or person dealing with others' affairs; especially, an assertive matriarch."
      ],
      "hyponyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "28 72",
          "word": "helicopter mom"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "28 72",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "helicopter parent"
        }
      ],
      "id": "en-mother_hen-en-noun-Yq0IX2c-",
      "links": [
        [
          "outspoken",
          "outspoken"
        ],
        [
          "overprotective",
          "overprotective"
        ],
        [
          "woman",
          "woman"
        ],
        [
          "matriarch",
          "matriarch"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) An outspoken and overprotective woman or person dealing with others' affairs; especially, an assertive matriarch."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "28 72",
          "tags": [
            "verb"
          ],
          "word": "mother-hen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "28 72",
          "word": "henpecked"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "overprotective woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "lloca"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "overprotective woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "moederkloek"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "overprotective woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "mère poule"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "overprotective woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Glucke"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "overprotective woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "cearc ghoir"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "overprotective woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "mamma chioccia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "klúša",
          "sense": "overprotective woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "клу́ша"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "overprotective woman",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "hönsmamma"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-mother hen.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/6a/En-au-mother_hen.ogg/En-au-mother_hen.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/En-au-mother_hen.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mother hen"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mother hens",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mother henning",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mother henned",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mother henned",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "++"
      },
      "expansion": "mother hen (third-person singular simple present mother hens, present participle mother henning, simple past and past participle mother henned)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "mother-hen"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1990, Diane Ehrensaft, Parenting Together: Men and Women Sharing the Care of Their Children:",
          "text": "Instead, the very \"mother henning\" implicit in their choice of \"nurturance\" over \"intimacy\" was what the they thought uniquely characterized their relationship to their child.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, T.M. Nielsen, Equites, page 541:",
          "text": "He's mother henning and driving me crazy.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011, Suzanne Forster, Unfinished Business:",
          "text": "That was probably why the girls mother henned her a bit and sometimes made her feel like the runt of the litter.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of mother-hen"
      ],
      "id": "en-mother_hen-en-verb-ZAIJdGXa",
      "links": [
        [
          "mother-hen",
          "mother-hen#English"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "hen"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-mother hen.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/6a/En-au-mother_hen.ogg/En-au-mother_hen.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/En-au-mother_hen.ogg"
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  ],
  "word": "mother hen"
}
{
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    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Irish translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Romanian translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mother hens",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "mother hen (plural mother hens)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyponyms": [
    {
      "word": "helicopter mom"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "helicopter parent"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "verb"
      ],
      "word": "mother-hen"
    },
    {
      "word": "henpecked"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A female chicken who bears eggs or chicks."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "chicken",
          "chicken"
        ],
        [
          "eggs",
          "eggs"
        ],
        [
          "chick",
          "chick"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(literally) A female chicken who bears eggs or chicks."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "literally"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2022 October 10, Jenna Scherer, “House Of The Dragon drops its best episode yet”, in AV Club:",
          "text": "Baela sends a letter by raven to her father Daemon spilling all the tea, and the news sends a now-pregnant Rhaenyra into mother-hen mode.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An outspoken and overprotective woman or person dealing with others' affairs; especially, an assertive matriarch."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "outspoken",
          "outspoken"
        ],
        [
          "overprotective",
          "overprotective"
        ],
        [
          "woman",
          "woman"
        ],
        [
          "matriarch",
          "matriarch"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) An outspoken and overprotective woman or person dealing with others' affairs; especially, an assertive matriarch."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-mother hen.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/6a/En-au-mother_hen.ogg/En-au-mother_hen.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/En-au-mother_hen.ogg"
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  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "female chicken",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "lloca"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "female chicken",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Glucke"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "female chicken",
      "word": "tyúkanyó"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "female chicken",
      "word": "kotlós"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "female chicken",
      "word": "cloșcă"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "female chicken",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "gallina"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "overprotective woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "lloca"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "overprotective woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "moederkloek"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "overprotective woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "mère poule"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "overprotective woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Glucke"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "overprotective woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "cearc ghoir"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "overprotective woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "mamma chioccia"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "klúša",
      "sense": "overprotective woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "клу́ша"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "overprotective woman",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "hönsmamma"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mother hen"
}

{
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    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
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    "English nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Irish translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Romanian translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "mother hens",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mother henning",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mother henned",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "mother henned",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "++"
      },
      "expansion": "mother hen (third-person singular simple present mother hens, present participle mother henning, simple past and past participle mother henned)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "hen"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "mother-hen"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1990, Diane Ehrensaft, Parenting Together: Men and Women Sharing the Care of Their Children:",
          "text": "Instead, the very \"mother henning\" implicit in their choice of \"nurturance\" over \"intimacy\" was what the they thought uniquely characterized their relationship to their child.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, T.M. Nielsen, Equites, page 541:",
          "text": "He's mother henning and driving me crazy.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2011, Suzanne Forster, Unfinished Business:",
          "text": "That was probably why the girls mother henned her a bit and sometimes made her feel like the runt of the litter.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of mother-hen"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "mother-hen",
          "mother-hen#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
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    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-mother hen.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/6a/En-au-mother_hen.ogg/En-au-mother_hen.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/En-au-mother_hen.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mother hen"
}

Download raw JSONL data for mother hen meaning in All languages combined (6.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-02-21 using wiktextract (7c21d10 and f2e72e5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.