chick·en (chĭk'ən)
n.

1. 1. The common domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus) or its young.
   2. Any of various similar or related birds.
   3. The flesh of the common domestic fowl.
2. Slang. A coward.
3. Any of various foolhardy competitions in which the participants persist in a dangerous course of action until one loses nerve and stops.
4. Vulgar Slang. A young gay male, especially as sought by an older man.

adj.
Slang. Afraid; cowardly.

intr.v. Slang, -ened, -en·ing, -ens.
To act in a cowardly manner; lose one's nerve: chickened out at the last moment.

[Middle English chiken, from Old English cīcen.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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