chicken
chick·en [chicken chickens chickened chickening] noun, verb, adjective BrE [ˈtʃɪkɪn] NAmE [ˈtʃɪkɪn]
noun 
1. countable a large bird that is often kept for its eggs or meat
• They keep chickens in the back yard.
•free-range chickens
compare ↑cock, ↑hen
2. uncountable meat from a chicken
•fried/roast chicken
•chicken stock/soup
•chicken breasts/livers/thighs
•chicken and chips
see also ↑spring chicken
more at don't count your chickens at ↑count v., run around like a headless chicken at ↑headless, the chickens come home to roost at ↑home adv.
Word Origin:
Old English cīcen, cȳcen, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kieken and German Küchlein, and probably also to ↑cock.
Example Bank:
•A few chickens were scratching around the yard.
•Are we just going to sit here like trussed up chickens?
•Battery chickens have miserable lives.
•Free-range chickens have happy lives.
•a crate of live chickens
•succulent pieces of chicken
•He called me a chicken because I wouldn't swim in the river.
Idioms: chicken-and-egg situation/problem ▪ ↑play chicken
Derived: ↑chicken out
verb
Verb forms: 
Word Origin:
Old English cīcen, cȳcen, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kieken and German Küchlein, and probably also to ↑cock.
adjective not before noun (informal)
not brave; afraid to do sth
Syn: ↑cowardly
Word Origin:
Old English cīcen, cȳcen, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kieken and German Küchlein, and probably also to ↑cock.
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