caul
1 Americannoun
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a part of the amnion sometimes covering the head of a child at birth.
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a net lining in the back of a woman's cap or hat.
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a cap or hat of net formerly worn by women.
noun
noun
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a portion of the amniotic sac sometimes covering a child's head at birth
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a large fold of peritoneum hanging from the stomach across the intestines; the large omentum
Etymology
Origin of caul1
1300–50; Middle English calle < Middle French cale, probably back formation from calotte “kind of cap”; see calotte
Origin of caul2
< French cale shim < German Keil wedge
Explanation
A caul is a membrane or thin piece of skin that sometimes covers a newborn baby's head. The caul is part of the anmniotic sac that protects a fetus before birth. Most mammals are enclosed within a protective membrane before they're born, and when part of this membrane is attached to a newborn, it's called a caul. Possibly because it's so rare for a baby to be born with this caul covering his or her head, it's been considered good luck since medieval times. The word once referred to a woman's close-fitting hat, from the French word cale, "cap," with a Latin root, calautica, "type of women's headdress."
Vocabulary lists containing caul
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Jones was born with a caul over his eye, which is often seen as indicating the gift of second sight.
From New York Times ● Sep. 10, 2020
Most of the hotels and restaurants were shuttered and, even to my untrained eye, a heavy caul of menace hung about the place.
From Salon ● May 5, 2019
Stretched out like clingfilm, caul fat looks like Brussels lace.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 12, 2018
How could we possibly trust any creature that comes into the world wearing such a caul of ambiguity?
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 6, 2014
I let out a wail when she parted the caul, letting in first air, first light.
From "Ninth Ward" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
