<p><strong>Noun:</strong></p><ul><li>A female chicken: Our hens only recently started laying, but these fresh eggs were worth the wait!</li><li>The female of any bird, especially a gallinaceous bird: The mallard drakes are splendidly colorful while the hens are camouflaged in drab plumage.</li><li>The female of certain marine creatures, including lobsters and salmon: I prefer a hen when making lobster bisque, as the dark red roe enhances both flavor and color.</li><li>Informal: Sometimes Offensive. A usually middle-aged or older woman, especially one who is considered to be petty or gossipy: Let’s get out of here and leave the hens to their blather.</li><li>Informal: A female in attendance at a hen party: The incident at the restaurant occurred hours after our party was over and we’d all gone home, but all of us hens were brought in for questioning the next morning.</li><li>British and Australian Informal: The bride-to-be at a bachelorette party: A toast to Vera, the beautiful hen, who’s flying our coop in less than a fortnight!</li><li>Scots Informal: An affectionate or familiar term of address to a girl or woman: That’s lovely, hen, thank you.</li></ul>