Jawbone
/ˈdʒɔːˌboʊn/noun
The bone of the jaw, especially the lower jaw.
Did you know?The first element, jaw, comes from Old English ceafl meaning both “jaw” and “cheek,” while bone comes from Old English bān, so the modern word is a straightforward compound rather than a hidden curse-word—but it still preserves an ancient body-term that once named the whole lower face.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kaflą
“jaw, cheek, jawline area”
Old English
OE
ceafl
“jaw; cheek”
Old English
OE
bān
“bone”
Middle English
ME
jaw-bone
“the bone of the jaw”
Modern English
English
jawbone
“the bone of the jaw, especially the lower jaw”