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Glite Dictionary
setting hen

setting hen

7.9
A hen that sits on eggs to keep them warm until they hatch
  • noun
translation icon : gallina clueca
  • It's important not to disturb a setting hen while she incubates her eggs.

Examples

  • The setting hen sat quietly on her eggs.

  • The farmer separated the setting hen from the rest to make sure her eggs were safe.

  • A setting hen needs a quiet and comfortable place to raise her chicks.

  • Farmers often rely on a setting hen to hatch their chicks.

  • The farmer noticed that the setting hen was carefully keeping her eggs warm.

  • After a few weeks, the setting hen hatched a dozen fluffy chicks from her eggs.

  • Each spring, we watch the setting hen as she carefully incubates her eggs in the barn.

Synonyms

sitter
vssetting hen
  • UK
1 9.8

A hen that stays on her eggs to keep them warm until they hatch

has identical meaning but is phrased differently
brood hen
vssetting hen
  • Jargon
5.3

A hen that sits on eggs until they hatch

has the same sense but uses alternative wording
broody
vssetting hen
8.6

A hen that sits on eggs to hatch them

is general and does not stress staying until eggs hatch
broody hen
vssetting hen
5.4

A hen that sits on eggs to keep them warm until they hatch

is the broader ready to incubate description without the staying detail

Surface Forms

setting hen singular
setting hens plural

Morphology

setting + hen

The phrase literally reads as 'a hen that is setting', so a learner who knows 'hen' and the basic sense of 'setting' might infer a hen that is sitting or placing something. However, 'setting' in the specific agricultural sense 'sitting on eggs to incubate' is specialized and not an obviously compositional meaning for an average B1 learner, so the relation is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Setting hen comes from the old use of setting, meaning a bird that sits down on its eggs. So a setting hen is a hen that is 'sitting on eggs' to keep them warm and hatch chicks.