Jowl
/dʒaʊl/noun
The lower part of a person’s or animal’s cheek, especially when fleshy or hanging.
Did you know?Jowl is an old Germanic word that entered English through forms related to the jaw, showing how the face’s most primal power-point gave rise to a separate word for the sagging cheek.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*g(e)u̯-
“to chew, gnaw”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kawō / *kawilō
“jaw, cheek; a chewing part of the face”
Old English
OE
ceole / ceafl
“jaw, cheek, or jowl-like part of the face”
Middle English
ME
joule / jowle
“cheek, jaw, or fleshy hanging part of the face”
Modern English
English
jowl
“the lower cheek or fleshy part of the face, especially when sagging”