Scowl
/skaʊl/noun
To frown in an angry, bad-tempered, or disapproving way.
Did you know?*Scowl* is an old English word of uncertain origin, which means the grim expression itself may have been named by a word whose deeper roots are now lost to history.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
scowlen
“to frown or look angrily”
15th Century
English
scowle
“a gloomy or angry look”
16th–17th Century
English
scowl
“to look sourly, frown, or glower”
Modern English
English
scowl
“to frown in anger, displeasure, or hostility”