caul

[ kawl ]

/ kɔl /

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noun

a part of the amnion sometimes covering the head of a child at birth.

greater omentum.

a net lining in the back of a woman's cap or hat.

a cap or hat of net formerly worn by women.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of caul

1300–50; Middle English calle <Middle French cale, probably back formation from calotte “kind of cap”; see calotte

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH caul

call, caul , cull

Words nearby caul

caught, caught dead, wouldn't be, caught flat-footed, caught in the middle, caught short, caul, cauld, cauldrife, cauldron, caulescent, Caulfield

Other definitions for caul (2 of 2)

caul²

[ kawl ]

/ kɔl /

noun

a form or plate for pressing a veneer or veneers being glued to a backing or to each other.

Origin of caul

<French cale shim <German Keil wedge

How to use caul in a sentence

If you want, you can add clamping cauls to ensure an even flatter glue-up.
No need to pass the potatoes—spin them with this DIY Lazy Susan|Jean Levasseur|November 19, 2022|Popular-Science
Their cauls provide them with physical invincibility—and, later, income, when they begin selling pieces for profit.
Morgan Jerkins Memorializes a Swiftly-Changing Harlem in Her New Novel Caul Baby|Cady Lang|April 2, 2021|Time
Nevertheless, according to some writers, they lay a small piece of the caul upon the fire.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3)|Strabo
To roast a leg of lamb or mutton, remove the caul, the pink skin, and the superfluous fat.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

Every means was used for the recovery o' the boy, but it was a' useless, he was quite deed an' caul'.
Stories and Sketches|Harriet S. Caswell
She wears a white linen hood which shows the shape of the caul in which her hair is imprisoned.
English Costume|Dion Clayton Calthrop
Her hair is enclosed in a stiff square caul of gold wire over cloth of gold.
English Costume|Dion Clayton Calthrop

British Dictionary definitions for caul

caul

/ (kɔːl) /

noun anatomy

a portion of the amniotic sac sometimes covering a child's head at birth

a large fold of peritoneum hanging from the stomach across the intestines; the large omentum

Word Origin for caul

C13: from Old French cale, back formation from calotte close-fitting cap, of Germanic origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012