Where does “hen” come from?

hen (Middle English) comes from Old English henn, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic hanjō, from Proto-Indo-European keh₂n- — to sing.

hen (Middle English): hen, chicken; female bird

Definitions

  1. hen, chicken; female bird

Ancestry of “hen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhennhen
2Proto-West Germanic*hannjuhen
3Proto-Germanichanjōhen
4Proto-Indo-Europeankeh₂n-to sing

Words derived from “hen”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European keh₂n- →