Etymology

chicken

chick·en
C3H4I1C3K5E1N1

Today it means: A domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus domesticus). Full definition →

Middle English chiken ← Old English ċicen ← Proto-Germanic *kukkīną?
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

chicken · noun, adjective1

  1. Proto-Germanic*keukô
  2. Proto-Germanic*kukkaz
  3. Proto-West Germanic*kiukīn?
  4. Proto-Germanic*kukkīną?
  5. Old Englishċicen
  6. Middle Englishchiken
  7. English todaychicken

From Middle English chiken (also as chike > English chick), from Old English ċicen, ċycen (“chicken”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *kiukīn (“chicken”), or alternatively from Proto-West Germanic *kukkīn, equivalent to cock + -en. Compare North Frisian schückling (“chicken”), Saterland Frisian Sjuuken (“chicken”), Dutch kuiken (“chick, chicken”), German Low German Küken (“chick”), whence German Küken (“chick”), (elevated, obsolete) German Küchlein (“chick”) and Old Norse kjúklingr (“chicken”).

chicken · verb2

Shortening of chicken out.

chicken · noun3

From chick + -en (plural ending).

Chicken · proper noun4

Chosen instead of ptarmigan (a common local bird) because of a dispute over the correct spelling.

Words from the same roots

Old Englishċicen all →

chick

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.