The story
- Proto-Germanic · inherited from*kaflaz“jaw”
- Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*kafl
- Old English · inherited fromċeafl“a bill, beak, snout, jaw, jaw-bone, cheek, cheek-bone”
- Middle English · inherited fromchavel
- English todaychavel
From Middle English chavel (also chawl, jawle, jawe), from Old English ċeafl (“a bill, beak, snout, jaw, jaw-bone, cheek, cheek-bone”), from Proto-West Germanic *kafl, from Proto-Germanic *kaflaz (“jaw”). Doublet of jowl; see there for more.
Words from the same roots
Middle Englishchavel all →
jabberjoll
Old Englishċeafl all →
jowlchawl
Proto-West Germanic*kafl all →
jowl
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.