jowl1

[joul, johl] /dʒaʊl, dʒoʊl/
noun
1.
a jaw, especially the lower jaw.
2.
the cheek.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English chawl, chavell, Old English ceafl jaw; cognate with Dutch kevel, German Kiefer, Old Norse kjaptr
Related forms
jowled, adjective

jowl2

[joul, johl] /dʒaʊl, dʒoʊl/
noun
1.
a fold of flesh hanging from the jaw, as of a very fat person.
2.
the meat of the cheek of a hog.
3.
the dewlap of cattle.
4.
the wattle of fowls.
Also, jole.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English cholle, Old English ceole throat; cognate with German Kehle throat
Examples from the web for jowl
  • The foundation's staff of twenty-five worked cheek by jowl out of a small two-story building.
  • Living cheek-by-jowl with one's neighbors imposes changes in one's behavior.
  • As was the case in my town, buildings were built cheek by jowl, and filled with combustible materials.
British Dictionary definitions for jowl

jowl1

/dʒaʊl/
noun
1.
the jaw, esp the lower one
2.
(often pl) a cheek, esp a prominent one
3.
cheek by jowl, See cheek (sense 7)
Derived Forms
jowled, adjective
Word Origin
Old English ceafl jaw; related to Middle High German kivel, Old Norse kjaptr

jowl2

/dʒaʊl/
noun
1.
fatty flesh hanging from the lower jaw
2.
a similar fleshy part in animals, such as the wattle of a fowl or the dewlap of a bull
Word Origin
Old English ceole throat; compare Old High German kela
Word Origin and History for jowl
n.

"jaw," 1570s, alteration of Middle English chawl (late 14c.), chavel (early 14c.), from Old English ceafl, from Proto-Germanic *kefalaz (cf. Middle High German kiver, German kiefer, Old Norse kjoptr "jaw," Danish kæft, Flemish kavel, Dutch kevel "gum"), from PIE *gep(h)- "jaw, mouth" (cf. Old Irish gop, Irish gob "beak, mouth"). The change from ch- to j- has not been explained.

"fold of flesh under the jaw," 1590s, alteration of Middle English cholle "fold of flesh hanging from the jaw" (c.1300), perhaps from Old English ceole "throat," from PIE *gwele- "to swallow" (see glut). This word and jowl (n.1) influenced one another in form and sense.

jowl in Medicine

jowl 1 (joul)
n.

  1. The jaw, especially the lower jaw.

  2. The cheek.

jowl 2
n.
The flesh under the lower jaw, especially when plump or flaccid.

Idioms and Phrases with jowl

jowl

see: cheek by jowl