1 moorhen | Definition of moorhen
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

moorhen

noun
moor·​hen | \ ˈmu̇r-ËŒhen How to pronounce moorhen (audio) \

Definition of moorhen

: an aquatic bird (Gallinula chloropus) of the rail family that is widespread in the New World, Eurasia, and Africa and that has a red bill, red frontal area on the head, and a white band on the flanks

— called also gallinule

Examples of moorhen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 All of the windows look out on the river, abundant with trout and irresistible to herons and moorhens. — Jo Rodgers, Vogue, "Old World Meets New at Adare Manor, Ireland’s Just-Renovated Castle Hotel," 4 Apr. 2018 Silverman further populates her wuthering heights with a winsome governess (Chasten Harmon), a typhoid maid (Hannah Cabell), a talking moorhen (Teresa Avia Lim), and a glum mastiff (Andrew Garman). — The New Yorker, "The Moors," 31 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'moorhen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of moorhen

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on moorhen

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with moorhen

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!