chicken

English chicken comes from Middle English chiken, from Old English ċicen or ċycen, of uncertain origin. It may trace back to Proto-West Germanic *kiukīn, or alternatively to *kukkīn, which would make it literally 'cock' plus the diminutive suffix -en.

The word has stayed remarkably close to its original meaning throughout its history, always referring to the bird itself.

Its Middle English form chiken also gave rise to the shorter word chick, and it shares roots with Dutch kuiken, German Küken, and Old Norse kjúklingr — all words for a young chicken across the Germanic languages.