hen apple
A chicken egg, said with a farm joke built in.
Also called hen berry, hen fruit.
Updated September 24, 2026
hen apple pronunciation
/HEN AP-uhl/
Meaning
Means an egg, plain and simple. The humor is treating a hen like a fruit tree: eggs are her "apples." You hear it at breakfast, in old farm talk, and when somebody wants a playful word instead of just saying egg. Related nicknames include hen berry and hen fruit.
How folks use it
- “Fry me a couple hen apples with them biscuits.”
- “Go gather the hen apples before the dogs find the nest.”
Origin and etymology
Jocular rural American name for an egg. The Dictionary of American Regional English records hen apple and hen berry, including an eastern Tennessee cite from 1939, plus later notes from Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and the Ozarks. Same joke family as hen fruit.
Frequently asked questions
Do people still say hen apple every day?
Not as the usual word. It shows up more as a joking or old-timer farm term.