Cheek
/tʃiːk/noun
The fleshy side of the face below the eye and beside the nose and mouth.
Did you know?English cheek comes from an Old English word related to a wider Germanic family for the jaw or cheek, and it ultimately traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “jaw,” showing how body words can survive for thousands of years.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gómu-
“jaw, mouth region”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kēkô
“cheek, jaw”
Old English
OE
ċēace
“cheek, jaw”
Middle English
ME
cheke
“cheek”
Modern English
English
cheek
“the fleshy side of the face below the eye”