*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of chawl

Borrowed from Marathi चाळ (cāḷ), from Sanskrit. Doublet of cell.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A type of residential tenement building found in India, typically for poor working-class people.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Marathi चाळ (cāḷ), from Sanskrit. Doublet of cell.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mr",
        "3": "चाळ"
      },
      "expansion": "Marathi चाळ (cāḷ)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cell"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of cell"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "चाळ",
      "चाळ#Marathi"
    ],
    [
      "cell",
      "cell#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A type of residential tenement building found in India, typically for poor working-class people."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "0733f7e550749e1118a4456e26368f2c99828c2f0479210689ce24b30b805a96",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6109364
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Jaw or cheek. · Jowl; cheek; face.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English chaule, chavel, from Old English ċeafl (“jaw, jowl”). More at jowl.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionchauleenm
  • Inherited-form mentionċeaflang · jaw, jowl
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "chaule"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English chaule"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ċeafl",
        "t": "jaw, jowl"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ċeafl (“jaw, jowl”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "chaule",
      "chaule#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "chavel",
      "chavel#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ċeafl",
      "ceafl#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "jowl",
      "jowl#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Jaw or cheek.",
        "Jowl; cheek; face."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "6d8493e9c3e4de5cf247d32a95842ea5ed1665235c1c6661542f47345a2d825d",
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for chawl →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y2hhd2w