jowl

¹ American  

[joul, johl] / dʒaʊl, dʒoʊl /

noun

1. a jaw, especially the lower jaw.

2. the cheek.

---

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.

---

jowl ¹ British  

/ dʒaʊl /

noun

1. the jaw, esp the lower one

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

3. See cheek

---

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

---

jowl Idioms  

1. see cheek by jowl.

---

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”

Explanation

Jowls are excess flesh around the jaw and cheeks that tends to grow as people get older. The jowl is also the lower jaw, which is hinged so the mouth can open, in vertebrates. The two meanings of jowl both relate to the jaw. In some cases, jowl literally means jaw, as in the hinged lower jaw of vertebrates. Without a jowl, you wouldn't be able to open your mouth. The jowl can also be called the jawbone, lower jawbone, mandible, or submaxilla. The other kind of jowl — usually called jowls — are loose, fleshy areas around the jaw and lower cheeks. Older people are more likely to have jowls, especially if they are overweight.

Example Sentences

There was a theater company called Cheek by Jowl I was obsessed with, and they were coming to America.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2022

A new Second City satire called “Love, Factually” is scheduled for December, and five international offerings include a “Measure for Measure” from Britain’s Cheek by Jowl and Pushkin Theatre Moscow.

From Washington Post • Apr. 10, 2018

For Mr. Donnellan, a veteran director of Shakespeare who is known for inventive work with his theater company, Cheek by Jowl, an imperative was not to mimic the movie.

From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2014

Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod at the touring company Cheek by Jowl opened a window on the world with their productions of plays by Racine, Corneille, Calderón and Ostrovsky.

From The Guardian • May 22, 2012

An’, look you! you better let ol’ Misses Jowl have back her garden t’ Green Cove.

From Every Man for Himself by Duncan, Norman