Definition of chicken

The origin of the word "chicken" is a fascinating topic. The term "chicken" is believed to have originated from the Old English word "cicen" or "cycen," which referred to a young chicken or a small capon. However, the word "chicken" as we know it today, meaning the domesticated fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus), has a more complex etymology. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that the modern English word "chicken" comes from the 15th-century Middle English phrase "chicken of chickens," meaning "a young or small chicken." This phrase was likely derived from the Old French "poulet," which referred to a young fowl or a small chicken. Over time, the phrase "chicken of chickens" was shortened to simply "chicken," and the term began to refer to the domesticated species as a whole.