chick

Everyday

1. A baby bird, especially a baby chicken that has just hatched from its egg. tree →
2. Informal and old-fashioned slang for a young woman; many people find it rude. tree →

In the lessons

In science, a chick hatches from an egg after the hen sits on it to keep it warm (about 21 days for chickens); this is part of a life cycle: egg, chick, adult hen or rooster. Chicks are covered in soft fluffy feathers called down. On farms and at school hatching projects, wash your hands after touching chicks because they can carry germs like salmonella. Phrases: "baby chick", "hatch a chick", "a mother hen and her chicks", "don't count your chickens before they hatch".

Examples

• The chick pecked its way out of the egg. tree →
• The mother hen kept her chicks warm under her wings. tree →
• Our class watched chicks hatch in an incubator. tree →
• A fluffy yellow chick cheeped in the straw. tree →
• The blackbird fed worms to her chicks. tree →
• Wash your hands after holding the chicks. tree →
• Egg, chick, hen: that is the life cycle of a chicken. tree →
• Ten eggs hatched, so we had ten chicks. tree →
• The latter has neither hens nor chicks, and only thinks of himself and perspires verdigris. tree →

Note

Countable: one chick, many chicks. A chick is a baby bird; a "chicken" is the kind of bird or its meat. "Chick" is not short for "chicken" in every case: any baby bird can be a chick. Avoid the slang meaning about women; it can be rude.