hen

hen · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*kan-
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*hanjō“hen”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*hannju
4. Old English · inherited fromhenn“hen”
5. Middle English · inherited fromhen
6. English todayhen

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”). Etymology 1, noun sense 7 after cock (“male chicken; man's penis”).

hen · adverb²

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*ḱe-
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*hina
3. Old English · inherited fromheonan
4. Middle English · inherited fromhenne
5. English todayhen

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 · verb³

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

Words from the same roots