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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ To nag or control 🙇 A controlled man 🗣️ Persistent nagging
henpeck

henpeck

1 8.9
A person who is often criticized or controlled by their partner
  • noun
  • /ˈhɛnˌpɛk/
  • Offensive
: mandilón
  • He was known as a henpeck because his wife made all the decisions at home.

Examples

  • He feels like a henpeck because his wife always criticizes him.

  • The movie portrayed the main character as a classic henpeck who never stood up for himself.

  • Some people unfairly label quiet husbands as a henpeck in their social circles.

  • Many men dislike being called a henpeck.

  • In his friends' eyes, he was a classic henpeck as his wife made all the decisions.

  • He always felt like a henpeck because his spouse frequently criticized his choices.

  • The documentary focused on a henpeck who struggled to voice his opinions in a relationship.

Surface Forms

henpeck singular
henpecks plural

Morphology

henpeck = hen + peck (semi-transparent) = hen + peck

The compound 'hen' + 'peck' is a clear metaphor (like a hen pecking), but the idiomatic extension to 'a person who is nagged' or 'persistent nagging' requires cultural/figurative knowledge.

Etymology

Henpeck comes from the image of a hen, a 'female chicken', that pecks, meaning 'to poke or bite again and again'. So a henpeck is a person, often a man, who is constantly criticized or controlled by their partner.