# hen
## English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /hɛn/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛn

### Etymology 1

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”).

#### Alternative forms

* henne (obsolete)

#### Noun

hen (plural hens)
* A female chicken (Gallus gallus), particularly a sexually mature one kept for her eggs.
** 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […] ; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid, […]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.
    Coordinate term: cock
* A female of other bird species, particularly a sexually mature female fowl.
    Coordinate term: cock
** 2023 June 17, Severin Carrell, “Dancing Capercaillie bird makes a tentative comeback in Scotland”, in The Guardian‎:In Tain, north of Inverness, staff detected 11 males and at least seven hens – the highest number there since 2011.
* (uncommon) A female fish (especially a salmon or trout) or crustacean.
** 2005, Roderick Sutterby, Malcolm Greenhalgh, “Life in the Nursery”, in Atlantic Salmon: An Illustrated Natural History, Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, →ISBN, page 21:As spawning time approaches – autumn or very early winter in most rivers, though in some late-run streams salmon may spawn as late as January or February – the hen's colouration becomes first a matt-pewter and then a drab dark brown-grey. The cock fish, in contrast, begins to gain some brighter colours.
    Synonym: henfish
    Coordinate terms: cock, cockfish
* (figuratively) A woman.
** 1785, Francis Grose, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue:Hen, a woman. A cock and hen club; a club composed of men and women.
** (UK, informal) A bride-to-be, particularly in the context of a hen night.
* (UK, informal) A hen night.
* (Scotland, informal) An affectionate term of address used to women or girls.
    Don't cry, hen. Everything will be all right.
* (transgender slang) The penis of a trans woman.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:trans woman's penis
    Coordinate term: cock
* (figuratively, derogatory, uncommon) A henlike person of either sex.
* The hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), a bivalve shellfish.
* (obsolete) A large pewter pot used in a tavern.
    Coordinate term: chicken

##### Synonyms

* (female bird): hen-bird
* (bride-to-be): bachelorette (US)
* (M. mercenaria): hard clam, hen-clam, hen-fish

##### Derived terms

* angry as a wet hen
* battery hen
* better an egg today than a hen tomorrow
* blue hen
* blue hen-hawk
* bush-hen
* chaparral hen
* cock-and-hen
* cock and hen
* cock-and-hen club
* Cornish game hen
* Cornish hen
* dakerhen
* daker-hen
* fat hen
* greyhen
* grey hen
* guinea hen
* guinea-hen
* guinea hen weed
* hazel hen
* hazel-hen
* heath-hen
* heath hen
* hen and chicken
* hen and chicks
* hen-and-egg
* hen-balk
* henbane
* hen-blindness
* hen-brained
* hen-cackle
* hen-clam
* hen-corn
* hen-court
* hen-dam
* hen do
* hen-dove
* hen dove
* hen-driver
* hen-feathered
* hen-fish
* hen-flesh
* hen-footed
* hen-frigate
* hen-fruit
* hen-harm
* hen harrier
* hen-harrier
* hen-hawk
* hen-headed
* hen-hearted
* hen hearted
* hen-heartedness
* henhouse
* hen-house
* hen house
* hen-hutch
* hen-keep
* hen-killer
* hen-like
* henlike
* hen-loft
* hen louse
* hen-mould
* hen night
* hen of grease
* hen of Guinea
* hen of the woods
* hen party
* hen-party
* hen peck
* henpeck
* hen-peck
* henpecked
* hen-pigeon
* hen pigeon
* hen-plant
* hen-run
* hen run
* hen's bill
* hen scratch
* hen-scratch
* hen's fruit
* hen's teeth
* hens' teeth
* hen's tooth
* hensure
* hensureness
* hen-tailed
* hen-toed
* hen-trough
* hen up
* hen weekend
* hen-wife
* hen-witted
* hen-yard
* jungle hen
* laying hen
* like a hen on a hot griddle
* like a hen with one chick
* mad as a wet hen
* mallee hen
* Maori hen
* marsh hen
* miserable as a wet hen
* moorhen
* mother-hen
* mother hen
* mud hen
* Our Lady's hen
* peahen
* Pharaoh's hen
* Port Egmont hen
* rare as hens' teeth
* rare as hen's teeth
* rice hen
* sage hen
* scarce as hen's teeth
* sea-hen
* sea hen
* spruce hen
* stank hen
* swamphen
* tappit hen
* turkey-hen
* turkey hen
* water hen
* wild as a wet hen
* woodhen

##### Translations
#### Verb

hen (third-person singular simple present hens, present participle henning, simple past and past participle henned)
* Alternative form of mother-hen
** 1943, McCall's - Volume 71, page 69:Once he had flared up, "If ever a man was henned, it's me!"
** 1984, Susan C. Feldhake, Love Beyond Surrender, page 52:Mammy henned the black workers into placing the trunks beside the girls.

##### See also

* broody

### Etymology 2

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.

#### Adverb

hen (not comparable)
* (dialectal) Hence.

### Etymology 3

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

#### Verb

hen (third-person singular simple present hens, present participle henning, simple past and past participle henned)
* (dialectal) To throw.

### References

* Fielding, Lucie (2021) Trans Sex: Clinical Approaches to Trans Sexualities and Erotic Embodiments, New York: Routledge, →ISBN, page 96

### Anagrams

* NHE, Neh.

## Breton
### Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *hen, from Proto-Celtic *senos, from Proto-Indo-European *sénos.

### Adjective

hen
* old, ancient

## Cimbrian
### Alternative forms

* haban, håm

### Etymology

From Middle High German haben, from Old High German hāben, from Proto-West Germanic *habbjan, from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to have; to hold”). Cognate with German haben, English have.

### Verb

hen (irregular, auxiliary hen)
* (Tredici Comuni) to have

### References

* Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

## Cornish
### Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *hen, from Proto-Celtic *senos.

### Adjective

hen
* (archaic) old
* long-standing

## Danish
### Etymology

From Middle Low German hen, ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *hiz (“here”). Related to Swedish hän, English hence, and German hin.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈhɛn], [ˈhɛnˀ]
* Rhymes: -ɛn

### Adverb

hen
* Used with a verb, indicating a movement towards or to something.
    Gå hen til din far.
       Go to your father.
    Hestene går hen imod mig.
       The horses are walking towards me.

#### Usage notes

Contrast with henne; where hen indicates movement, henne indicates position. Thus hvor løber han henne? means "where is he running?", whereas hvor løber han hen? means "to where is he running?".

## Dutch
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɦɛn/
* Hyphenation: hen
* Rhymes: -ɛn

### Etymology 1

From Old Dutch hin, from Proto-Germanic *himaz.

#### Pronoun

hen (personal)
* them (object pronoun)

##### Usage notes

See the usage note at hun for details on use.

##### Declension

| | subject | subject | object | object | possessive | possessive | possessive | reflexive | genitive$^5$ |
| singular | full | unstr. | full | unstr. | full | unstr. | pred. | | |
| 1st person | ik | 'k$^1$ | mij | me | mijn | m'n$^1$ | mijne | me | mijner, mijns |
| 2nd person | jij | je | jou | je | jouw | je | jouwe | je | jouwer, jouws |
| 2nd person archaic or regiolectal | gij | ge | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u | uwer, uws |
| 2nd person formal | u | – | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u, zich$^7$ | uwer, uws |
| 3rd person masculine | hij | ie$^1$ | hem | 'm$^1$ | zijn | z'n$^1$ | zijne | zich | zijner, zijns |
| 3rd person feminine | zij | ze | haar | h'r$^1$, 'r$^1$, d'r$^1$ | haar | h'r$^1$, 'r$^1$, d'r$^1$ | hare | zich | harer, haars |
| 3rd person neuter | het | 't$^1$ | het | 't$^1$ | zijn | z'n$^1$ | zijne | zich | zijner, zijns |
| plural | | | | | | | | | |
| 1st person | wij | we | ons | – | ons, onze$^2$ | – | onze | ons | onzer, onzes |
| 2nd person | jullie | je | jullie | je | jullie | je | – | je | – |
| 2nd person archaic or regiolectal$^6$ | gij | ge | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u | uwer, uws |
| 2nd person formal | u | – | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u, zich$^7$ | uwer, uws |
| 3rd person | zij | ze | hen$^3$, hun$^4$ | ze | hun | – | hunne | zich | hunner, huns |
| $^{1)}$ Not as common in written language. $^{2)}$ Inflected as an adjective. $^{3)}$ In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative). $^{4)}$ In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative). $^{5)}$ Archaic. Nowadays used for formal, literary or poetic purposes, and in fixed expressions. $^{6)}$ To differentiate from the singular gij, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people"). | $^{1)}$ Not as common in written language. $^{2)}$ Inflected as an adjective. $^{3)}$ In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative). $^{4)}$ In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative). $^{5)}$ Archaic. Nowadays used for formal, literary or poetic purposes, and in fixed expressions. $^{6)}$ To differentiate from the singular gij, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people"). | $^{1)}$ Not as common in written language. $^{2)}$ Inflected as an adjective. $^{3)}$ In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative). $^{4)}$ In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative). $^{5)}$ Archaic. Nowadays used for formal, literary or poetic purposes, and in fixed expressions. $^{6)}$ To differentiate from the singular gij, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people"). | $^{1)}$ Not as common in written language. $^{2)}$ Inflected as an adjective. $^{3)}$ In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative). $^{4)}$ In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative). $^{5)}$ Archaic. Nowadays used for formal, literary or poetic purposes, and in fixed expressions. $^{6)}$ To differentiate from the singular gij, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people"). | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' | $^{7)}$ Zich is preferred if the reflexive pronoun immediately follows the subject pronoun u, e.g. Meldt u zich aan! 'Log in!', and if the subject pronoun u is used with a verb form that is identical with the third person singular but different from the informal second person singular, e.g. U heeft zich aangemeld. 'You have logged in.' Only u can be used in an imperative if the subject pronoun is not overt, e.g. Meld u aan! 'Log in!', where u is the reflexive pronoun. Otherwise, both u and zich are equally possible, e.g. U meldt u/zich aan. 'You log in.' |

##### Related terms

* hun

### Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch henne, from Old Dutch *henna, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic *hanjō, from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n- (“to sing”).

#### Noun

hen f (plural hennen, diminutive hennetje n, masculine haan)
* hen, female chicken; female of a related species
* a female of the species of birds brooding on the ground
* (figuratively) 'bird', colloquial term for a human female

##### Synonyms

* (female chicken) kip, kieken
* (brooding bird) kloek
* (female human; informal) kippetje, duifje

##### Related terms

* haan m (rooster)
* hoen, hoender n (fowl)

##### Descendants

* Afrikaans: hen
* Jersey Dutch: hän

### Etymology 3

Chosen in an online poll by Transgender Netwerk Nederland in 2016. The alternative die arose from the same poll.

#### Pronoun

hen (possessive hun)
* (gender-neutral, nonstandard) they (singular) (subject pronoun). A gender-neutral singular third-person personal pronoun.
* (gender-neutral, nonstandard) them (singular) (object pronoun). A gender-neutral singular third-person personal pronoun.

##### Usage notes

Unlike English they, Dutch gender-neutral hen agrees with a verb in singular:
    Hen is hun portemonnee kwijt. ― They have lost their wallet.

##### Synonyms

* (gender-neutral 3sg pronoun): die

##### See also

* Genderneutrale voornaamwoorden on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia $^{nl}$

### References

* ↑ Onze Taal‎ (in Dutch), 2016 June 20, archived from the original on 2020-10-17

## Finnish
### Noun

hen
* genitive singular of he (“he (a letter of some Semitic alphabets)”)

## Japanese
### Romanization

hen
* Rōmaji transcription of へん

## Mandarin
### Romanization

hen
* Nonstandard spelling of hēn.
* Nonstandard spelling of hén.
* Nonstandard spelling of hěn.
* Nonstandard spelling of hèn.

#### Usage notes

* Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

* henne, hene, han, en, heene

### Etymology

From Old English henn, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic *hanjō.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /hɛn/
* Rhymes: -ɛn

### Noun

hen (plural hennes or hennen, genitive hennes or henne)
* hen, chicken
* female bird

#### Descendants

* English: hen
* Scots: hen
* Yola: hen, hin

#### References

* “hen, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-03.

## Mohawk
### Particle

hen
* yes

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology 1

From Middle Low German hen, henne.

#### Adverb

hen
* used with a verb, indicating a movement towards or to something.
* (dialectal) where

### Etymology 2

Through Swedish hen from Finnish hän.

#### Pronoun

hen (third person singular gender-neutral personal pronoun, possessive hens)
* (neologism) they
    Hvis noen kjører over fartsgrensen, må hen betale en bot.If someone exceeds the speed limit, they must pay a fine.
    Kommer studenten for sent, må hen vente ute.If the student comes too late, they have to wait outside.
    Har du nummeret hens?Do you have their number?

##### Usage notes

* Hen can be used when someone's gender is unknown or irrelevant, or to refer to someone who prefers a gender neutral pronoun instead of han (“he”) or hun (“she”).

##### See also

* han (“he”), hun (“she”), vedkommende (“they”)

### References

* “hen” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
* “hen_2” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

### Further reading

* "Det kjønnsnøytrale pronomenet hen har kome inn i norsk dei siste åra og blir brukt i to litt ulike tydingar. I juni 2022 kom ordet òg inn i rettskrivingsnormene for nynorsk og bokmål."
* “New gender-neutral pronoun likely to enter Norwegian dictionaries” by Weronika Strzyżyńska (2022-02-02), in The Guardian

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Etymology 1

From Middle Low German hen, henne.

#### Adverb

hen
* used with a verb, indicating a movement towards or to something.
* (dialectal) where

### Etymology 2

Through Swedish hen from Finnish hän.

#### Pronoun

hen (third person singular gender-neutral personal pronoun, possessive hens)
* (neologism) they
    Kjem studenten for seint, må hen venta ute.If the student comes too late, they have to wait outside.
    Har du nummeret hens?Do you have their number?

##### Usage notes

* Hen can be used when someone's gender is unknown or irrelevant, or to refer to someone who prefers a gender neutral pronoun instead of han (“he”) or ho (“she”).

##### See also

* han (“he”), ho (“she”), vedkomande (“they”)

### References

* “hen” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
* “hen”, in Norsk ordbok: ordbok over det norske folkemålet og det nynorske skriftmålet (in Norwegian Nynorsk), volume 5, Oslo: Samlaget, 2005, columns 292–293
* “hen” in Ivar Aasen (1873) Norsk Ordbog med dansk Forklaring
* “hen_2” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

### Further reading

* “Det kjønnsnøytrale pronomenet hen har kome inn i norsk dei siste åra og blir brukt i to litt ulike tydingar”
* “New gender-neutral pronoun likely to enter Norwegian dictionaries” by Weronika Strzyżyńska (2022-02-02), in The Guardian

## Polish
### Alternative forms

* heń (Southern Greater Poland)
* hań (Kielce, Przemyśl, Żywiec)
* haj (Kielce)

### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *eno.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈxɛn/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛn
* Syllabification: hen

### Adverb

hen (not comparable)
* (literary) far away

### Further reading

* hen in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* hen in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Scots
### Noun

hen (uncountable)
* Term of address for a woman.
    Alright Mary hen?(please add an English translation of this usage example)

## Swedish
### Etymology 1

Created as an alternative to hon (“she”) and han (“he”). The coining of the word has probably been influenced by the Finnish hän, a personal pronoun used about human beings and which does not specify gender (Finnish lacks grammatical gender entirely). Hen was suggested as early as 1966 by linguist Rolf Dunås in Swedish regional newspaper Upsala Nya Tidning and was proposed again in a 1994 article by linguist Hans Karlgren, but did not receive widespread attention until around 2010.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /hɛn/
* Audio (Central Standard Swedish):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛn

#### Pronoun

hen (third person singular gender-neutral personal pronoun, oblique hen or henom, possessive hens)
* (neologism) A third-person singular pronoun of unspecified gender; they, thon; alternative to hon (“she”) and han (“he”).
** 2011, Anders Lokko, “En sång om att ha följt sitt hjärta”, in Svenska Dagbladet‎:Alla skilsmässor och separationer är olika. Men i nästan samtliga är det i slutändan någon som blir lämnad och någon som lämnar. Ingen av de rollerna är enkel. Fast det är när den som lämnar gör det för att hen har träffat någon annan […]All divorces and separations are different. But in almost all cases, someone is left behind or someone leaves. None of those roles are easy. However, it's when the one who does leaves because they have met someone else […]
** 2011, Lotten Wiklund, “Jag vill vara hen – inte hon eller han”, in Dagens Nyheter‎, archived from the original on 2 June 2013:I efterhand har hen förstått att det förmodligen har att göra med att hen aldrig riktigt accepterat att det bara skulle finnas två kön.In hindsight, they have come to understand that it probably has to do with the fact that they have never accepted that there are just two genders.
** 2012, Jesper Lundqvist, Kivi och Monsterhund:[…]ska hen få en hund, kan de halvt säkert lova[…][…]then they will get a dog, they can almost promise[…]
** 2013, Lova Olsson, “Arnholm lanserar 'hen' i riksdagen”, in Svenska Dagbladet‎:– Målet är att varje individ ska få det stöd hen behöver för att så snabbt som möjligt lära sig svenska, komma i arbete och klara sin egen försörjning, sade den nyblivna jämställdhetsministern.– The goal is to make sure that every individual should receive the support they need to learn Swedish, start working and manage to support themselves as soon as possible, said the newly appointed Minister of Gender Equality.
** 2013, Ann-Marie Begler, Caroline Dyrefors Grufman, “Flera allvarliga kränkningar i skolan de senaste veckorna”, in Dagens Nyheter‎:– En person i personalen som sliter i och skäller på barnen, hotar med stryk och skrämmer dem med det hen vet att de är rädda för.– A person on the staff pushes around and yells at the children, threatens with violence and frightens them with things they know they are afraid of.
** 2014, Nina Åkestam, Meningen med hela skiten‎:Vill hen att du ska chansa, eller ta det lugnt?Do they want you to gamble or to take it easy?
** 2015, Ami Sundeman, Anna Lytsy, Kosmosdialogerna‎:Hens utgångspunkt är alltid större och mera allomfattande än så.Their starting point is always greater and more all-encompassing than that.

##### Usage notes

* Although the word has gained common use, it is not nearly as common as the gendered words han and hon. From 2011 to 2020, usage of hen increased hundredfold in the media, but no increase was seen in 2021. It has been especially popular among activists for gender equality and adherents of queer theory, and with the transgender community. In 2022, usage of hen was ranked in shared first place alongside misspelling of words as the most annoying language phenomenon in a Swedish survey. Publishers of manuals of style and the Swedish Language Council do not proscribe the usage of hen, but recommend the inflected forms hens as the possessive and hen over henom as the object.

#### See also

* vederbörande

### Etymology 2

From Old Norse hein, from Proto-Germanic *hainō.
Related to Norwegian and Icelandic hein (“whetstone”), Old English hān (“stone, rock”) and modern English hone. Further related to Sanskrit शाण (śāṇa) and Latin cōs with the same meaning. See also (dialectal) Swedish hena (“to hone”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /heːn/

#### Noun

hen c
* (archaic, dialectal) a whetstone, particularly the small and soft kind.

##### Synonyms

* bryne n
* brynsten c

##### Related terms

* slipsten c (“grindstone”)

### References

* ↑ Anders Q Björkman (2012 March 8) “”Hen” föreslogs av språkforskare redan 1994 – i SvD [”Hen” proposed by linguists already 1994 – in SvD]”, in Svenska Dagbladet‎, archived from the original on 10 April 2013
* ↑ “Hen står still i svenska medier [hen is stagnant in Swedish media]”, in Språktidningen, Språktidningen, 2022 January 18, retrieved 18 January 2022
* ↑ “”Jag vill vara hen – inte hon eller han” [”I want to be hen – not hon or han”]”, in Dagens Nyheter‎, 2011 May 17
* ↑ “Särskrivningar och hen irriterar mest i svenskan [Splitting of compound words and hen causing most irritation in Swedish]”, in Språktidningen‎, Språktidningen, 2022 April 25, retrieved 26 January 2023
* ↑ hen in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* ↑ “Hur använder man pronomenet hen? [How is the pronoun hen used?]”, in Aktuellt språkråd‎, Swedish Language Council, 2014 August 25, archived from the original on 29 May 2015
* ↑ hen in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

## Veps
### Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *hëëno. Cognates include Finnish hieno.

### Adjective

hen
* fine
* refined, elegant

#### Derived terms

* henota

### References

* Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “изысканный, мелкий, тонкий, утончённый”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎, Petrozavodsk: Periodika

## Vietnamese
### Pronunciation

* (Hà Nội) IPA: [hɛn˧˧]
* (Huế) IPA: [hɛŋ˧˧]
* (Saigon) IPA: [hɛŋ˧˧]

### Etymology 1

Cognate with Kuy [Salavan] hɛːn ("to cough").

#### Noun

hen • (𠻃, 𤹖)
* (pathology) (bệnh ~) asthma
    Synonyms: suyễn, hen suyễn

##### Derived terms

* hen suyễn
* ho hen

#### Verb

hen • (𠻃, 𤹖)
* (North Central Vietnam) to cough

### Etymology 2
#### Particle

hen
* (Southern Vietnam) okay?; alright?

## Welsh
### Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *hen, from Proto-Celtic *senos, from Proto-Indo-European *sénos.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /heːn/
* Rhymes: -eːn
* Rhymes: -ɛn

### Adjective

hen (feminine singular hen, plural henion, equative hyned, comparative hŷn or hynach or henach, superlative hynaf or henaf, not mutable)
* old, aged; ancient, antique, pristine, former; inveterate, chronic; original; senior, elder
* stale, mouldy, musty, fusty
* unreformed, old, traditional (of style or mode of expressing dates according to the Julian Calendar); reckoned according to the Old Style (of festival)

#### Usage notes

* This adjective has an alternate, more “senior” comparative in the form of hŷn and an equivalent alternate superlative in the form of hynaf.
* Unlike most Welsh adjectives, this word goes before the noun.
* Like most Welsh adjectives that go before the noun, this word triggers a soft mutation in the word that follows it.

#### Derived terms

* barf yr hen ŵr (“traveller‘s-joy, Clematis vitalba”)
* cyn hyned â phechod (“as old as sin”)
* hawdd cynnau tân ar hen aelwyd (“it is easy to rekindle love with an old flame”)
* hen a methedig (“old and infirm”)
* Hen Aifft (“Ancient Egypt”)
* hen askdjfhaksfh (“askdjfhaskfd”)
* hen bennill (“stanza of folk poetry”)
* hen beth (“antique”)
* hen bobl (“old people, the elderly”)
* hen bryd (“about time”)
* hen dad-cu (“great grandfather”)
* hen daid (“great grandfather”)
* Hen Destament (“Old Testament”)
* hen dro (“pity, shame”)
* hen ddigon (“quite enough”)
* Hen Ddihenydd (“Ancient of Days”)
* hen ddyn (“old man, old Adam”)
* hen fam-gu (“great grandmother”)
* Hen Feili (“Old Bailey”)
* hen ferch (“spinster, old maid”)
* hen ffasiwn (“old-fashioned, dated”)
* Hen Ffrangeg (“Old French”)
* hen geg (“babbler”)
* hen gnawes (“old shrew”)
* hen gono (“old fogey”)
* Hen Gredadun (“Old Believer”)
* hen groc (“old crock”)
* Hen Gynghrair (“Auld Alliance”)
* Hen Gymraeg (“Old Welsh”)
* hen jaden (“horrible woman”)
* hen lanc (“bachelor”)
* hen law (“old hand”)
* hen nain (“great grandmother”)
* hen nodiant (“staff notation”)
* Hen Norseg (“Old Norse”)
* Hen Oes y Cerrig (“Old Stone Age, Palaeolithic”)
* Hen Ogledd (“Old North (Brittonic southern Scotland and northern England)”)
* Hen Roeg (“Ancient Greek”)
* hen Rufain (“Ancient Rome”)
* Hen Saesneg (“Old English”)
* hen sguthan (“horrible woman”)
* Hen Wlad fy Nhadau (Welsh national anthem)
* hen wlad Groeg (“Ancient Greece”)
* Hen Wyddeleg (“Old Irish”)
* henach henach, ffolach ffolach (“there's no fool like an old fool”)
* henadur (“elder; alderman”)
* henaidd (“oldish, quaint”)
* henaint (“old age”)
* hendraul (“threadbare”)
* hendref (“winter dwelling”)
* Hendy-gwyn ar Daf (“Whitland”)
* heneb (“ancient monument”)
* heneiddio (“to age”)
* Henfyd (“Ancient World”)
* Henffordd (“Hereford”)
* heniaith (“ancient language, Welsh”)
* henoed (“old age”)
* henuriad (“elder”)
* henwlad (“old country, Wales”)
* henwr (“old man”)
* mor hen â phechod (“as old as sin”)
* yr hen a ŵyr, yr ifanc a dybia (“the old know, the young think they know”)

## Yola
### Alternative forms

* hin

### Etymology

From Middle English hen, from Old English henn, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /hɛn/, /hɪn/

### Noun

hen (plural henès)
* hen
    Coordinate term: cuck
** 1867, “CASTEALE CUDDE'S LAMENTATION”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 4, page 104:Hea pryet ich mought na ha chicke or hen,He prayed I might not have chicken nor hen,

### References

* Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 46