jowl

¹ American  

[joul, johl] / dʒaʊl, dʒoʊl /

noun

1. a jaw, especially the lower jaw.

2. the cheek.

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jowl ² American  

[joul, johl] / dʒaʊl, dʒoʊl /

Also jole

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.

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jowl ¹ British  

/ dʒaʊl /

noun

1. the jaw, esp the lower one

2. (often plural) a cheek, esp a prominent one

3. See cheek

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jowl ² British  

/ 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

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jowl Idioms  

1. see cheek by jowl.

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Other Word Forms

• jowled adjective

Etymology

Origin of jowl¹

before 1000; Middle English chawl, chavell, Old English ceafl jaw; cognate with Dutch kevel, German Kiefer, Old Norse kjaptr

Origin of jowl²

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English cholle, Old English ceole “throat”; cognate with German Kehle “throat”

Example Sentences

Ruoff’s team has already used it to make diamond films composed of thousands of tiny crystals packed cheek by jowl.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 24, 2024

"We live teeth by jowl with a much bigger country that speaks a language that is a global language," he said.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2023

For newcomers, signature dishes include beef brisket and boneless short ribs; for those more adventurous, order the beef tongue and pork jowl.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 24, 2022

Commuters and touring passengers with cameras around their necks sometimes sat cheek by jowl, taking in the sights of flashing neon billboards, junk boats and shard-like skyscrapers rising toward Victoria Peak.

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2022

Factories making cameras, computers, watches, umbrellas, and T-shirts stand cheek by jowl with densely packed blocks of apartment buildings and fields of banana and mango trees, sugarcane, papaya, and pineapple destined for the export market.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell