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guinea hen

guinea hen

7.7
Meat from a guinea fowl that people cook and eat
  • noun
  • /ˈɡɪni hɛn/
translation icon : carne de gallina de Guinea
  • Roasted guinea hen is often served with seasonal vegetables in gourmet restaurants.
  • roasted guinea hen

Examples

  • The recipe calls for one whole guinea hen, cleaned and cut into pieces.

  • The chef prepared a delicious stew using fresh guinea hen.

  • The chef prepared a delicious guinea hen for dinner.

  • I had never tasted guinea hen before visiting France.

  • We enjoyed a delicious roasted guinea hen with vegetables for dinner.

  • The chef prepared a flavorful stuffed guinea hen for the holiday feast.

  • For the family gathering, they served a special dish of guinea hen with savory gravy.

Synonyms

poultry
vsguinea hen
11 1.6

Meat from birds like chickens, ducks and turkeys used for food

is meat from one particular bird species not the listed farm birds
fowl
vsguinea hen
6 3.2

Meat from birds like chicken or duck used for food

is meat from a specific bird species rather than any bird

Surface Forms

guinea hen singular
guinea hens plural

Morphology

guinea + hen

This is a literal, compositional noun: 'guinea' (a type of fowl) combined with 'hen' (an adult female bird) yields a female guinea fowl (or the meat of that bird). A B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings can readily infer this referent, so the expression is transparently built from its parts.

Etymology

Guinea hen is also used to mean the bird's flesh when it is cooked. Because people name dishes after the animal, guinea hen can mean the 'meat' from a female guinea fowl.