chicken

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Related to chicken: chicken casserole, chicken salad

chick·en

(chĭk′ən)

a. A common domesticated fowl (Gallus domesticus) widely raised for meat and eggs and believed to be descended from the jungle fowl G. gallus.

b. Any of various similar or related birds.

c. The flesh of the chicken, used as food.

2. Slang A coward.

3. Any of various foolhardy competitions in which the participants persist in a dangerous course of action until one loses nerve and stops.

4. Vulgar Slang A young gay male, especially as sought by an older man.

adj. Slang

Afraid; cowardly.

intr.v. chick·ened, chick·en·ing, chick·ens Slang

To act in a cowardly manner; lose one's nerve: chickened out at the last moment.

[Middle English chiken, from Old English cīcen.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

chicken

(ˈtʃɪkɪn)

1. (Animals) a domestic fowl bred for its flesh or eggs, esp a young one

2. (Cookery) the flesh of such a bird used for food

3. (Animals) any of various similar birds, such as a prairie chicken

4. slang a cowardly person

5. slang a young inexperienced person

6. slang an underage boy or girl regarded as a potential target for sexual abuse

7. (Games, other than specified) informal any of various, often dangerous, games or challenges in which the object is to make one's opponent lose his or her nerve

8. count one's chickens before they are hatched to be overoptimistic in acting on expectations which are not yet fulfilled

9. like a headless chicken informal Brit disorganized and uncontrolled

10. no chicken no spring chicken slang no longer young: she's no chicken.

adj

slang easily scared; cowardly; timid

[Old English ciecen; related to Old Norse kjūklingr gosling, Middle Low German küken chicken]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

chick•en

(ˈtʃɪk ən)

n.

1. a domestic fowl, Gallus domesticus, descended from various jungle fowl of SE Asia and developed in a number of breeds for its flesh, eggs, and feathers.

2. the young of this bird, esp. when less than a year old.

3. the flesh of the chicken used as food.

4. Slang.

a. a cowardly or fearful person.

b. a young or inexperienced person.

c. Usually Offensive. a young woman.

d. a young male sexual partner sought by older men.

5. a contest or confrontation that threatens serious, sometimes fatal consequences if one of the participants errs or does not yield.

adj.

6. Informal.

a. cowardly.

b. frightened.

7. Slang.

a. petty or trivial: a chicken regulation.

b. obsessed with petty details.

8. chicken out, to withdraw from a commitment, esp. out of fear.

[before 950; Middle English chiken, Old English cīcen; akin to Middle Dutch kieken, Middle Low German küken]

usage: Definition 5f is usually perceived as insulting to women.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	chicken - the flesh of a chicken used for food poulet, volaille Gallus gallus, chicken - a domestic fowl bred for flesh or eggs; believed to have been developed from the red jungle fowl poultry - flesh of chickens or turkeys or ducks or geese raised for food broiler - flesh of a small young chicken not over 2 1/2 lb suitable for broiling capon - flesh of a castrated male chicken frier, fryer, pullet - flesh of a medium-sized young chicken suitable for frying roaster - flesh of a large young chicken over 3 1/2 lb suitable for roasting spatchcock - flesh of a chicken (or game bird) split down the back and grilled (usually immediately after being killed) hen - flesh of an older chicken suitable for stewing white meat, breast - meat carved from the breast of a fowl chicken wing - the wing of a chicken
	2.	chicken - a domestic fowl bred for flesh or eggs; believed to have been developed from the red jungle fowl Gallus gallus domestic fowl, fowl, poultry - a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl chick, biddy - young bird especially of domestic fowl rooster - adult male chicken capon - castrated male chicken biddy, hen - adult female chicken spring chicken - a young chicken having tender meat Rhode Island red - American breed of heavy-bodied brownish-red general-purpose chicken Dominick, Dominique - American breed of chicken having barred grey plumage raised for meat and brown eggs Orpington - English breed of large chickens with white skin chicken, poulet, volaille - the flesh of a chicken used for food
	3.	chicken - a person who lacks confidence, is irresolute and wishy-washy crybaby, wimp doormat, weakling, wuss - a person who is physically weak and ineffectual
	4.	chicken - a foolhardy competition; a dangerous activity that is continued until one competitor becomes afraid and stops contest, competition - an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants
Adj.	1.	chicken - easily frightened chickenhearted, lily-livered, white-livered, yellow-bellied, yellow colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech cowardly, fearful - lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted; "cowardly dogs, ye will not aid me then"- P.B.Shelley

chicken

noun

Slang. An ignoble, uncourageous person:

coward, craven, dastard, funk, poltroon.

Slang: yellow-belly.

adjective

Slang. Ignobly lacking in courage:

chickenhearted, cowardly, craven, dastardly, faint-hearted, lily-livered, pusillanimous, unmanly.

Slang: gutless, yellow, yellow-bellied.

Translations

جَباندجاجدَجَاج دَجَاجَةفَرْخ، فَرّوج

пиле

kuřezbaběleckuřecíposera

kyllingbangebukshønekujon

Huhn Feigling Hähnchen Hühnchen Hühnerfleisch

κοτόπουλο όρνιθα

koko

pollo gallina cobarde

argkanakanaliha

جوجهمرغ

kanapelkuri

poulet poussin poulepoule mouillée

piletinakokoškokoškapile

csirkecsirkehúsgyáva nyuszicsibe

ayam

kjúklingur

pollo tirarsi indietro coniglio galletto gallina

鶏鶏肉

닭

bailelisbailusbailysišsigąstivėjaraupiai

cāļa gaļacālisjeradveselezakapastala

kipkippenvleeslafaard wezel hen

feiging kylling reddhare unghøne høne

kurczak tchórz drób kura

frango galinha

găinăpui

курица курятина трус

kurakuracina

piščanec

kycklinghöna

เนื้อไก่ไก่

piliç tavukpiliç/tavuk etitabansızkorkak

con gàthịt gà

鸡鸡肉小鸡胆小鬼

chicken

[ˈtʃɪkɪn]

A. N (= hen) → gallina f; (= cock) → pollo m; (as food) → pollo (= coward) → gallina mf
roast chicken → pollo m asado
to be chicken → dejarse intimidar, acobardarse
to play chicken → jugar a quién es más valiente
it's a chicken and egg situation → es aquello de la gallina y el huevo
the chickens are coming home to roost → ahora se ven las consecuencias
don't count your chickens before they're hatched → no hagas las cuentas de la lechera
see also spring D

B. CPD chicken farmer N → avicultor(a) m/f
chicken farming N → avicultura f
chicken feed N (lit) → pienso m para gallinas
it's chicken feed to him → para él es una bagatela
chicken liver N → hígado m de pollo
chicken run N → corral m
chicken wire N → tela f metálica, alambrada f

chicken out VI + ADV → rajarse
to chicken out of sth/doing sth: he chickened out of the audition → se rajó y no se presentó a la prueba
he chickened out of asking her to dinner → se rajó y no la invitó a cenar, no se atrevió a invitarla a cenar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

chicken

[ˈtʃɪkɪn]

(= bird) → poulet m
to count one's chickens → vendre la peau de l'ours
to count one's chickens before they're hatched → vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué
it's a chicken and egg situation → c'est l'histoire de l'œuf et de la poule
to run round like a headless chicken, to rush round like a headless chicken (mainly British) (= behave in a panicky, unfocused way) → courir dans tous les sens

(= meat) → poulet m

(= coward) → poule f mouillée

modif [soup, salad, sandwich] → au poulet

chicken out

vi → se dégonfler
to chicken out of doing sth → se dégonfler au moment de faire qch
He chickened out of asking her to the party → Il s'est dégonflé au moment de l'inviter à la fête.chicken breast n → blanc m (de poulet)chicken drumstick n → pilon m (de poulet)chicken farmer n → aviculteur/trice m/fchicken liver n (= single) → foie m de volaille; (ingredient) → foies mpl de volaillechicken nuggets npl → nuggets mpl de poulet

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

chicken

→ Huhn nt; (for roasting, frying) → Hähnchen nt; she’s no chicken (inf) → sie ist nicht mehr die Jüngste; chicken liver → Hühner- or Geflügelleber f; to run around like a headless chicken → wie ein kopfloses Huhn herumlaufen; don’t count your chickens (before they’re hatched) (Prov) → man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben (Prov); it’s a chicken and egg situation (inf) → das ist eine Zwickmühle

(inf, = coward) → feiges Huhn (inf), → Feigling m

adj (inf) → feig; he’s chicken → er ist ein Feigling or ein feiges Huhn (inf); he’s too chicken to do it → er ist zu feig(e)

chicken

in cpds → Hühner-;

chicken farmer

n → Hühnerzüchter m

chicken feed

(lit) → Hühnerfutter nt

(inf: = insignificant sum) → ein paar Cent; they expect us to work for chicken → sie erwarten, dass wir für ’n Appel und ’n Ei arbeiten (inf)

chicken flu

n → Hühnergrippe f

chicken-hearted, chicken-livered

adj → feige, hasenherzig (old, liter)

chickenpox

n → Windpocken pl

chicken run

n → Hühnerhof m, → Auslauf m

chickenshit (US sl)

(= coward) → Angsthase m (inf), → Memme f (pej inf)

no pl to be chicken (= be worthless) → Scheiße sein (sl), → einen Dreck wert sein (inf)

adj

(= cowardly) → feige

(= worthless) → beschissen (inf)

chicken wire

n → Hühnerdraht m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

chicken

[ˈtʃɪkɪn]

1. n → pollo (fam) (coward) → coniglio
don't count your chickens before they're hatched (Proverb) → non dire quattro finché non l'hai nel sacco

2. adj (stock, breast, liver) → di pollo; (farmer, farming) → di polli

chicken out vi + adv (fam) → avere fifa
to chicken out of sth → tirarsi indietro da qc per fifa or paura

chicken

(ˈtʃikin) noun

1. a young bird, especially a young hen. She keeps chickens.

2. its flesh used as food. a plate of fried chicken.

3. (slang.) a coward.

ˌchicken-ˈhearted adjective

cowardly.

ˈchicken-pox noun

an infectious disease with fever and red itchy spots.

chicken out

to avoid doing something because of cowardice. He chickened out at the last minute.

chicken

→ دَجَاج, دَجَاجَة kuře, kuřecí kylling Huhn, Hühnerfleisch κοτόπουλο gallina, pollo kana poulet pile, piletina pollo 鶏, 鶏肉 닭 kip kylling drób, kurczak frango, galinha курица, курятина kyckling เนื้อไก่, ไก่ tavuk con gà, thịt gà 鸡, 鸡肉

chicken

n. pollo;

___ breast → pechuga.

chicken

n pollo

References in classic literature ?

Sauntering around the corner of the house in the early morning, he came upon a chicken that had escaped from the chicken-yard.

View in context

They are perhaps not coming at all, and have turned in somewhere.' Then she said: 'Well, Gretel, enjoy yourself, one fowl has been cut into, take another drink, and eat it up entirely; when it is eaten you will have some peace, why should God's good gifts be spoilt?' So she ran into the cellar again, took an enormous drink and ate up the one chicken in great glee.

View in context

Pinocchio is caught by a Farmer, who uses him as a watchdog for his chicken coop

View in context

"But just think, Dorothy, what a big chicken family we've grown to be, and our numbers increase nearly every day!

View in context

It now contained only Chanticleer, his two wives, and a solitary chicken. All of them were pure specimens of a breed which had been transmitted down as an heirloom in the Pyncheon family, and were said, while in their prime, to have attained almost the size of turkeys, and, on the score of delicate flesh, to be fit for a prince's table.

View in context

In the course of his careful feeding of him, he gave him an occasional chicken bone.

View in context

"I'm a thinkin whether Missis would be a havin a chicken pie o' dese yer."

View in context

Billina wore a pearl necklace, and around the neck of each chicken was a tiny gold chain holding a locket with the letter "D" engraved upon the outside.

View in context

If it's Monday she's bound ter say she wished 'twas Sunday; and if you take her jelly you're pretty sure ter hear she wanted chicken--but if you DID bring her chicken, she'd be jest hankerin' for lamb broth!"

View in context

She reached this place in safety, but no sooner had she seized fast hold of the slats of the big box in which the chickens were kept than the wind, as if enraged because the little girl dared to resist its power, suddenly redoubled its fury.

View in context

My father is roasting young chickens to-day!' said the Princess.

View in context

"That is all very well, friend Michel," said he, "but will you inform us where these chickens came from which have mixed themselves up in our concert?"