*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of jowl

From Middle English jawle, chawl, chavel (“jaw, jawbone”), from Old English ċeafl (“jaw, cheek”), from Proto-West Germanic *kafl (“jaw, cheek”). The modern form (for expected chavel, chawl; still found dialectally) is in

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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

The jaw, jawbone; especially one of the lateral parts of the mandible.

verb

To throw, dash, or knock.

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

From Middle English jawle, chawl, chavel (“jaw, jawbone”), from Old English ċeafl (“jaw, cheek”), from Proto-West Germanic *kafl (“jaw, cheek”). The modern form (for expected chavel, chawl; still found dialectally) is influenced by jaw, which it is a partial doublet of.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionjawleenm
  • Inherited-form mentionċeaflang · jaw, cheek
  • Inherited-form mention*kaflgmw-pro · jaw, cheek
  • Doublet mentionjawen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "jawle"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English jawle"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ċeafl",
        "t": "jaw, cheek"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ċeafl (“jaw, cheek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*kafl",
        "t": "jaw, cheek"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *kafl (“jaw, cheek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "jaw",
        "notext": "1",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "jaw"
    },
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      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "doublet"
      },
      "expansion": "doublet"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "jawle",
      "jawle#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "chawl",
      "chawl#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "chavel",
      "chavel#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ċeafl",
      "ceafl#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*kafl",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/kafl"
    ],
    [
      "chavel",
      "chavel#English"
    ],
    [
      "chawl",
      "chawl#English"
    ],
    [
      "jaw",
      "jaw#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The jaw, jawbone; especially one of the lateral parts of the mandible."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    },
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To throw, dash, or knock."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "transitive"
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A fold of fatty flesh under the chin, around the cheeks, or lower jaw (as a dewlap, wattle, crop, or double chin). · The cheek; especially the cheek meat of a hog. · A cut of fish including the head and adjacent parts

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

From Middle English cholle (“wattle, jowl”), from Old English ċeole (“throat”), from Proto-West Germanic *kelā, from Proto-Germanic *kelǭ (“gullet”) (compare Scots choll, West Frisian kiel, Dutch keel, German Kehle), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelu- (“to swallow”) (compare Old Irish in·gilid (“to graze”), Irish goile (“stomach”), Latin gula (“throat”), gluttiō (“to swallow”), Russian глота́ть (glotátʹ, “to swallow, gulp”), Ancient Greek δέλεαρ (délear, “lure”), Armenian կլանել (klanel, “to swallow”), Persian گلو (galu), Hindi गला (galā, “neck, throat”)).

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": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "cholle",
        "t": "wattle, jowl"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English cholle (“wattle, jowl”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ċeole",
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      },
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    },
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      },
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    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*kelǭ",
        "t": "gullet"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *kelǭ (“gullet”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "choll"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots choll"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "kiel"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian kiel"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "keel"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch keel"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Kehle"
      },
      "expansion": "German Kehle"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*gʷelu-",
        "t": "to swallow"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *gʷelu- (“to swallow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sga",
        "2": "in·gilid",
        "t": "to graze"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Irish in·gilid (“to graze”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ga",
        "2": "goile",
        "t": "stomach"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish goile (“stomach”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "gula",
        "t": "throat"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin gula (“throat”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "глота́ть",
        "t": "to swallow, gulp"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian глота́ть (glotátʹ, “to swallow, gulp”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "δέλεαρ",
        "t": "lure"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek δέλεαρ (délear, “lure”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "hy",
        "2": "կլանել",
        "t": "to swallow"
      },
      "expansion": "Armenian կլանել (klanel, “to swallow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fa",
        "2": "گلو",
        "tr": "galu"
      },
      "expansion": "Persian گلو (galu)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "hi",
        "2": "गला",
        "t": "neck, throat"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindi गला (galā, “neck, throat”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cholle",
      "cholle#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ċeole",
      "ceole#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*kelā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/kelā"
    ],
    [
      "*kelǭ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kelǭ"
    ],
    [
      "choll",
      "choll#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "kiel",
      "kiel#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "keel",
      "keel#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Kehle",
      "Kehle#German"
    ],
    [
      "*gʷelu-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gʷelu-"
    ],
    [
      "in·gilid",
      "ingilid#Old_Irish"
    ],
    [
      "goile",
      "goile#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "gula",
      "gula#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "gluttiō",
      "gluttio#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "глота́ть",
      "глотать#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "δέλεαρ",
      "δέλεαρ#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "կլանել",
      "կլանել#Armenian"
    ],
    [
      "گلو",
      "گلو#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "गला",
      "गला#Hindi"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
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        "A fold of fatty flesh under the chin, around the cheeks, or lower jaw (as a dewlap, wattle, crop, or double chin).",
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        "A cut of fish including the head and adjacent parts"
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A blow, bump, knock. · The tolling of a bell; knell.

verb

To knock, bump, strike against; hit, strike; peck at. · To jolt or shake roughly; shake up, mix together. · To rumble. · To toll, knell.

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

From Middle English jollen, chollen (“to knock, strike, batter; stagger”). Related to jow (“to knock, bump, ring”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionjollenenm
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "jollen"
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "jollen",
      "jollen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "chollen",
      "chollen#English"
    ],
    [
      "jow",
      "jow#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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  "lexical": [
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        "A blow, bump, knock.",
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        "To toll, knell."
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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.

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Contribute located evidence for jowl →

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-am93bA