gallinule \gal"linule\, n. l. gallinula chicken, dim. of
   gallina hen: cf. f. gallinule. zool.
   one of several wading birds, having long, webless toes, and a
   frontal shield, belonging to the family rallidae. they are
   remarkable for running rapidly over marshes and on floating
   plants. the purple gallinule of america is ionornis
   martinica, that of the old world is porphyrio porphyrio.
   the common european gallinule gallinula chloropus is also
   called moor hen, water hen, water rail, moor coot,
   night bird, and erroneously dabchick. closely related to
   it is the florida gallinule gallinula galeata.
   1913 webster

   note: the purple gallinule of southern europe and asia was
         formerly believed to be able to detect and report
         adultery, and for that reason, chiefly, it was commonly
         domesticated by the ancients.
         1913 webster
see also:
rallidae ionornis martinica porphyrio porphyrio gallinula chloropus moor hen water hen 
water rail moor coot night bird dabchick gallinula galeata 

moor \moor\, n. oe. mor, as. m=or moor, morass; akin to d.
   moer moor, g. moor, and prob. to goth. marei sea, e. mere.
   see mere a lake.
   1. an extensive waste covered with patches of heath, and
      having a poor, light soil, but sometimes marshy, and
      abounding in peat; a heath.
      1913 webster

            in her girlish age she kept sheep on the moor.
                                                  --carew.
      1913 webster

   2. a game preserve consisting of moorland.
      1913 webster

   moor buzzard zool., the marsh harrier. prov. eng.

   moor coal geol., a friable variety of lignite.

   moor cock zool., the male of the moor fowl or red
      grouse of europe.

   moor coot. zool. see gallinule.

   moor game. zool. same as moor fowl.

   moor grass bot., a tufted perennial grass sesleria
      caerulea, found in mountain pastures of europe.

   moor hawk zool., the marsh harrier.

   moor hen. zool.
      a the female of the moor fowl.
      b a gallinule, esp. the european species. see
          gallinule.
      c an australian rail tribonyx ventralis.

   moor monkey zool., the black macaque of borneo macacus
      maurus.

   moor titling zool., the european stonechat pratinocola
      rubicola.
      1913 webster
see also:
mere moor buzzard moor coal moor cock moor fowl moor coot 
gallinule moor game moor fowl moor grass sesleria caerulea 
moor hawk moor hen tribonyx ventralis moor monkey macacus maurus 
moor titling pratinocola rubicola 

moorhen \moorhen\ n. zool.
   1. a black gallinule gallinula chloropus that inhabits
      ponds and lakes.

   syn: gallinula chloropus.
        wordnet 1.5

   2. the female of the moor fowl; the moor hen.
      wordnet 1.5
see also:
gallinula chloropus moor fowl moor hen