Animal rights activists are lobbying the Oxford English Dictionary for the removal of its "harmful entry for the word chicken".
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals) says the OED, run by Walton Street-based Oxford University Press, should abandon the slang definition for chicken which is 'coward'.
The organisation has written to the OED to point out that chickens can indeed be "remarkably brave".
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In its letter to dictionary bosses PETA is requesting the removal of its harmful entry for “chicken” – which the dictionary associates with cowardliness.
PETA points out that the derogatory definition fuels false perceptions about chickens and promotes speciesism, the human-held belief that all other animal species are inferior.
“Words matter and perpetuating negative, inaccurate stereotypes about chickens makes it easier to justify killing and eating these clever animals,” said PETA Vice President of Programmes Elisa Allen.
“PETA encourages the Oxford English Dictionary to reject mischaracterisations of chickens and update its definition to reflect their natural intelligence, communication skills, and empathy for others.”
In the letter, PETA pointed out that chickens are "remarkably brave", adding that mother hens will put themselves in harm's way to protect their young, using their wings to shield them from predators, while roosters are gallant guardians who defend their flock if threatened.
They can also recognise the faces of more than 100 other chickens, establish complex social hierarchies; and roost together companionably, according to PETA, whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any way”.
The Oxford English Dictionary went online in 2000. It has been asked to comment.
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