water hen
- noun
:
gallineta
- The water hen swam gracefully across the pond, searching for food among the reeds.
Examples
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I took one of the boats out onto the lake at sunset to watch the water hens feeding.
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During our hike, we spotted a water hen nesting by the riverbank.
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A group of water hens gathered at the edge of the lake, making soft clucking sounds.
Synonyms
19
8.5
A medium-sized dark water bird with a white beak and forehead that looks like a duck
A small black water bird with a red bill and long legs that lives on ponds and lakes
A water bird with mainly dark feathers that lives in ponds and lakes
A small water bird like a hen with a bright patch on its forehead that lives in marshes
A medium-sized water bird with a gray body and white bill often found in lakes and ponds
A medium-sized water bird in North America with dark feathers and a white bill
A medium water bird with dark feathers that swims in lakes and ponds
A small bird that lives in marshes, like the American coot
A medium-sized water bird with big feet and a colored plate on its forehead
Surface Forms
Morphology
water + hen
The meaning 'a small aquatic bird that lives near water' is directly derivable from combining 'water' (habitat) with 'hen' (a bird), following the common English compound pattern that denotes an animal associated with a place. This compositional logic is cross-linguistically common and therefore a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Water hen comes from a simple picture: a bird that lives in or near water and looks a bit like a farm hen, so people used the name for small birds by rivers and ponds. That's why water hen now means 'a small aquatic bird'.