jowl

[ joul, johl ]

/ dʒaʊl, dʒoʊl /

noun

a jaw, especially the lower jaw.

the cheek.

RELATED WORDS

cheek, mandible, dewlap

Nearby words

Origin of jowl

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

Related formsjowled, adjective

Definition for jowls (2 of 2)

jowl

[ joul, johl ]

/ dʒaʊl, dʒoʊl /

noun

a fold of flesh hanging from the jaw, as of a very fat person.

the meat of the cheek of a hog.

the dewlap of cattle.

the wattle of fowls.

Also jole.

Origin of jowl

1275–1325; Middle English cholle, Old English ceole throat; cognate with German Kehle throat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for jowls

Alastair Sim had jowls like melting candle wax, a snarl like a cornered cat and eyes cold with contempt.
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Leno's face, although it glows with the rubbery health of the often-exfoliated, is falling, and jowls are begging to form.
Conan Vs. Jay|Choire Sicha|May 2, 2010|DAILY BEAST
He was portly, rosy in the jowls, with fat blue eyes of a tendency to get bloodshot in the corners, and curly brown hair.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 20, No. 33, November 1877|Various
Under the chin he was pouched like a pelican and about the jowls was wattled like a turkey gobbler.
The Escape of Mr. Trimm|Irvin S. Cobb

The chines are smoked with jowls, and used in late winter or spring.
Burroughs' Encyclopaedia of Astounding Facts and Useful Information, 1889|Barkham Burroughs
The jowls are taken off the head and salted with the bacon and hams.
The Pig|Sanders Spencer
Her cheeks were puffy red, her eyes jutted poppily from the sockets, and her jowls dripped.
Wanted: A Husband|Samuel Hopkins Adams

British Dictionary definitions for jowls (1 of 2)

jowl

/ (dʒaʊl) /

noun

the jaw, esp the lower one

(often plural) a cheek, esp a prominent one

cheek by jowl See cheek (def. 7)

Derived Formsjowled, adjective

Word Origin for jowl

Old English ceafl jaw; related to Middle High German kivel, Old Norse kjaptr

British Dictionary definitions for jowls (2 of 2)

jowl

/ (dʒaʊl) /

noun

fatty flesh hanging from the lower jaw

a similar fleshy part in animals, such as the wattle of a fowl or the dewlap of a bull

Word Origin for jowl

Old English ceole throat; compare Old High German kela

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

Word Origin and History for jowls (1 of 2)

jowl

n.2

"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.

Word Origin and History for jowls (1 of 2)

jowl

n.1

"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.

Idioms and Phrases with jowls

jowl

see cheek by jowl.