| / English Dictionary |
CHICKEN
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A domestic fowl bred for flesh or eggs; believed to have been developed from the red jungle fowl
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("chicken" is a kind of...):
domestic fowl; fowl; poultry (a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl)
Meronyms (parts of "chicken"):
chicken; poulet; volaille (the flesh of a chicken used for food)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chicken"):
biddy; chick (young bird especially of domestic fowl)
cock; rooster (adult male chicken)
capon (castrated male chicken)
biddy; hen (adult female chicken)
spring chicken (a young chicken having tender meat)
Rhode Island red (American breed of heavy-bodied brownish-red general-purpose chicken)
Dominick; Dominique (American breed of chicken having barred grey plumage raised for meat and brown eggs)
Orpington (English breed of large chickens with white skin)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A foolhardy competition; a dangerous activity that is continued until one competitor becomes afraid and stops
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("chicken" is a kind of...):
competition; contest (an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The flesh of a chicken used for food
Synonyms:
chicken; poulet; volaille
Classified under:
Nouns denoting foods and drinks
Hypernyms ("chicken" is a kind of...):
poultry (flesh of chickens or turkeys or ducks or geese raised for food)
Meronyms (parts of "chicken"):
breast; white meat (meat carved from the breast of a fowl)
chicken wing (the wing of a chicken)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chicken"):
broiler (flesh of a small young chicken not over 2 1/2 lb suitable for broiling)
capon (flesh of a castrated male chicken)
frier; fryer; pullet (flesh of a medium-sized young chicken suitable for frying)
roaster (flesh of a large young chicken over 3 1/2 lb suitable for roasting)
spatchcock (flesh of a chicken (or game bird) split down the back and grilled (usually immediately after being killed))
hen (flesh of an older chicken suitable for stewing)
Holonyms ("chicken" is a part of...):
chicken; Gallus gallus (a domestic fowl bred for flesh or eggs; believed to have been developed from the red jungle fowl)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishy-washy
Synonyms:
chicken; crybaby; wimp
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("chicken" is a kind of...):
doormat; weakling; wuss (a person who is physically weak and ineffectual)
Derivation:
chicken (easily frightened)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Easily frightened
Synonyms:
chicken; chickenhearted; lily-livered; white-livered; yellow; yellow-bellied
Classified under:
Similar:
cowardly; fearful (lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted)
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Derivation:
chicken (a person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishy-washy)
III. (verb)
Sense 1
Present simple (first person singular and plural, second person singular and plural, third person plural) of the verb chicken
Context examples:
The Count himself came forward and took off the cover of a dish, and I fell to at once on an excellent roast chicken.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
E. avium has been isolated from chicken feces and is commensal in the human GI tract, but can be pathogenic to humans and in some cases is vancomycin resistant.
(Enterococcus avium, NCI Thesaurus)
Bird flu viruses infect birds, including chickens, other poultry, and wild birds such as ducks.
(Bird Flu, NIH)
The treated material is also ideal for food packaging, where it could stop the accidental transfer of bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and listeria from raw chicken, meat and other foods.
(Scientists Create Superbug-Resistant Self-Cleaning Surface, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Professor Ukena first discovered NPGL in chickens after noticing that growing birds grew larger irrespective of diet — suggesting there was more to energy metabolism than meets the eye.
(New Appetite Control Mechanism Found in Brain, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
The viruses have a widespread distribution and include both exogenous (vertical and horizontal transmission) and endogenous viruses of chickens and some other birds.
(Alpharetrovirus, NCI Thesaurus)
Most assumed they would resemble miniature dinosaurs, about the size of chickens, and walk on two legs.
(Scientists discover fossil of dinosaur ancestor with surprising croc-like appearance, NSF)
Normally, chicken feed is prepared as a corn-soybean mixture, the authors said in a press release, but the mixture lacks methionine.
(US Researchers Genetically Modify Corn to Boost Nutritional Value, VOA News)
The membrane in hens' eggs that helps chicken embryos get enough oxygen and calcium for development.
(Chorioallantoic membrane, NCI Dictionary)
Cells derived from the chicken used as a biological model for research.
(Chicken Cells, NCI Thesaurus)
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