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moorhen

American  
[moor-hen] / ˈmʊərˌhɛn /

noun

  1. Also called water hen.  a common species of gallinule, Gallinule chloropus, of nearly worldwide distribution.

  2. any of several related gallinules.

  3. Chiefly British. the female red grouse.

moorhen British  
/ ˈmʊəˌhɛn, ˈmɔː- /

noun

  1. a bird, Gallinula chloropus, inhabiting ponds, lakes, etc, having a black plumage, red bill, and a red shield above the bill: family Rallidae (rails)

  2. the female of the red grouse

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of moorhen

First recorded in 1250–1300, moorhen is from the Middle English word mor-hen. See moor 1, hen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.