What is the Latin word for hen?

The usual Latin words for “hen” are gallīna, gallīnārius, cavea; also sedīle, avis. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“hen” in Latin

gallīnahen (female chicken)gallīnāriusof poultry caveahollow, cavity; cage, den, enclosure, stall, coop, beehive, birdcage; the seats in a theater, amphitheater, or auditoriu sedīleseat, bench, stool, chair (fixed in position unlike a sella)avisa bird; omen; portent

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

hen

gallina. A hen’s egg, ovum gallinaceum. Hen- house, gallinarium. A hen’s nest, cubile gallinae. Hen-coop, cavea. To put hens in a coop, gallinas in cavea includere (Cic.). Hens, when they have laid an egg, ruffle their feathers and shake themselves, gallinae inhorrescunt, edito ovo, excutiuntque sese (Plin.). Hen-roost, sedile (avium; Varr., R.R., 3, 5, 13); pertica gallinaria (the perch, id., 3, 9, 7).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for hen?: The usual Latin words for “hen” are gallīna, gallīnārius, cavea; also sedīle, avis. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.