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Glite Dictionary
swamphen

swamphen

9.9
A medium-sized water bird with big feet and a colored plate on its forehead
  • noun
  • /ˈswæmfən/
translation icon : pájaro zancudo
  • The purple swamphen waded through the reeds in the wetland, searching for food.

Examples

  • The vibrant blue feathers of the swamphen made it stand out among the brown grasses.

  • Purple Swamphen ssp. poliocephalus

    Blog text (22)

  • The girl who made you the gift makes these look like swamphens.

    Kismet (1944)

  • Milord, I said, these are swamphens.

    Kismet (1944)

  • He scorns my dancing girls as swamphens.

    Kismet (1944)

  • Swamphens?

    Kismet (1944)

  • We spotted a swamphen nesting near the edge of the lake during our hike.

Surface Forms

swamphen singular
swamphens plural

Morphology

swamphen = swamp + hen (transparent) = swamp + hen

Clearly a compound of 'swamp' + 'hen' (sometimes written 'swamp-hen'); the meaning is literal and easily inferred by learners.

Etymology

The word swamphen comes from the words swamp ('wet land') and hen ('female chicken'), so it originally meant a 'hen of the swamp'. That's why the name fits a medium-sized water bird that looks a bit like a chicken and walks in wetlands with large feet.