woodhen

English

Lord Howe woodhen

Etymology

From Middle English wodhen, from Old English wuduhenn (“woodhen, quail”), equivalent to wood +‎ hen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwʊd.hɛn/

Noun

woodhen (plural woodhens)

1. Any of the species Hypotaenidia sylvestris (syns. Gallirallus sylvestris, Tricholimnas sylvestris, Ocydromus sylvestris) of rails in the family Rallidae endemic to Lord Howe Island, Australia.
   • 2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 233:

     The story of the woodhen is one outstanding conservation triumph in a plethora of tragedy.

Derived terms

• Lord Howe woodhen

References

• “woodhen”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “woodhen”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• Lord Howe woodhen on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Hypotaenidia sylvestris on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Gallirallus sylvestris on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Anagrams

• Donohew, Henwood, hoe-down, hoedown