fowl
n.n. a group of birds that people keep for their meat or eggs, like chickens, ducks, and geese. It is an old-fashioned word that you mostly see in history books or farming guides.
n. a category of domesticated birds, such as chickens, ducks, and geese, kept for their meat or eggs. Often used in historical or agricultural contexts; the modern equivalent is 'poultry'.
The farmer kept several types of fowl in the barn.
Historical records from the 18th century describe the various breeds of fowl that were common in rural England.
While the term 'poultry' is now standard in modern agricultural discourse, 'fowl' remains a preferred term in legal documents and historical treatises regarding the management of domesticated birds.
From Middle English foul, foghel, fowel, fowele, from Old English fugol (“bird”), from Proto-West Germanic fugl, from Proto-Germanic fuglaz, dissimilated variant of fluglaz (compare Old English flugol ‘fleeing’, Mercian fluglas heofun ‘birds of the air’), from fleuganą (“to fly”). Cognate with West Frisian fûgel, Low German Vagel, Dutch vogel, German Vogel, Swedish fågel, Danish and Norwegian fugl. Doublet of voël. More at fly.