Gallina
/ɡəˈliːnə/noun
A hen, especially in zoological or historical usage.
Did you know?In Roman tradition, chickens were used for auspices: priests watched whether sacred hens ate, because their behavior was believed to reveal the gods’ will.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Italic
Proto-Italic
*gal-snā
“Reconstructed ancestor associated with the domestic fowl; the deeper origin is uncertain.”
Ancient Latin
Latin
gallus
“A cock or rooster.”
Ancient Latin
Latin
gallīna
“A hen; the feminine counterpart of gallus.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
gallina
“A hen, used in ecclesiastical and scholarly writing.”
Modern English
English
gallina
“A hen, chiefly in zoological, historical, or specialized usage.”
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