caul

The story

1. Old French · derived fromcale“close-fitting cap”
2. Old English · inherited fromcāwl
3. Middle English · inherited fromcalle
4. English todaycaul

From Middle English calle, kelle, kalle, kolle (“caul, net, basket”), from Old English cāwl, cāul, cēawl, cēaul (“basket, container, net, sieve”), of uncertain origin. Reinforced by Old French cale (“close-fitting cap”), possibly a borrowing of the Old English term above, or alternatively related to Old French calotte (“headdress”), from Italian callotta, from Latin calautica (“type of female headdress which fell down over the shoulders”), itself of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots kell (“caul”).

First known use, by meaning

• from 14th c. A style of close-fitting circular cap worn by women in the sixteenth century and later, often made of linen.
• chiefly 1800-1950 An entry to a mill lead taken from a burn or stream (a mill lead (or mill waterway) is generally smaller than a canal but moves a large volume of water).
• 14th–17th c. A membrane.
• from 14th c. The thin membrane which covers the lower intestines; the omentum.
• from 16th c. The amnion which encloses the foetus before birth, especially that part of it which sometimes shrouds a baby’s head at birth (traditionally considered to be good luck).