woodhen

W4O1O1D2H4E1N1
/ˈwʊd.hɛn/

noun

The weka (Gallirallus australis).

OriginMiddle English wodhen ← Old English wuduhenn →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounwoodhen (plural woodhens)

plural woodhens

  1. The weka (Gallirallus australis).
  2. The species Hypotaenidia sylvestris (syns. Gallirallus sylvestris, Tricholimnas sylvestris, Ocydromus sylvestris), a rail in the family Rallidae endemic to Lord Howe Island, Australia.

    The story of the woodhen is one outstanding conservation triumph in a plethora of tragedy.

    2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 233

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
weka

Origin

  1. Old Englishwuduhenn“woodhen, quail”
  2. Middle Englishwodhen
  3. Englishwoodhen

From Middle English wodhen, from Old English wuduhenn (“woodhen, quail”), equivalent to wood + hen.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

HenwoodhoedownDonohew
Cite this entry
APA

woodhen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/woodhen

MLA

“woodhen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/woodhen. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “woodhen,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/woodhen.

Source: woodhen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.