An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Huhn

by Friedrich Kluge

Huhn, neuter, ‘fowl,’ from Middle High German and Old High German huon (plural -ir, Middle High German hüener), neuter; compare Old Saxon hôn, Dutch hoen; unknown to English; Old Icelandic plural only, hœns (Anglo-Saxon hêns-?), neuter, ‘fowls.’ Huhn compared with the related words Hahn and Henne is properly of common gender, and may in Old High German be used instead of Hahn. The Gothic term may have been *hôn or *hônis. Compare Hahn.