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Cheek

//t͡ʃiːk// name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A pre-Norman surname.
  2. 2
    An unincorporated community in Carter County, Oklahoma, United States.
  3. 3
    An unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Texas, United States, established by John R. Cheek.
Noun
  1. 1
    The soft skin on each side of the face, below the eyes; the outer surface of the sides of the oral cavity. countable, uncountable

    "There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper, / That steals the colours from Bassanio's cheek: / Some dear friend dead; else nothing in the world / Could turn so much the constitution / Of any constant man. What, worse and worse!— […]"

  2. 2
    impudent aggressiveness wordnet
  3. 3
    The lower part of the buttocks that is often exposed beneath very brief underwear, swimwear, or extremely short shorts. countable, informal, plural-normally, uncountable
  4. 4
    either of the two large fleshy masses of muscular tissue that form the human rump wordnet
  5. 5
    Impudence. figuratively, informal, uncountable

    "You’ve got some cheek, asking me for money!"

Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    either side of the face below the eyes wordnet
  2. 7
    One of the genae, flat areas on the sides of a trilobite's cephalon. countable, informal, uncountable
  3. 8
    an impudent statement wordnet
  4. 9
    One of the pieces of a machine, or of timber or stonework, that form corresponding sides or a similar pair. countable, uncountable

    "the cheeks of a vice"

  5. 10
    One of the pieces of a machine, or of timber or stonework, that form corresponding sides or a similar pair.; pump-cheek, pump-cheeks, a piece of wood cut out fork-shaped in which the brake is fastened by means of a bolt and can thus move around and move the upper box of the pump up and down countable, uncountable
  6. 11
    The branches of a bridle bit. countable, in-plural, uncountable
  7. 12
    Either side of an axehead. countable, uncountable
  8. 13
    The middle section of a flask, made so that it can be moved laterally, to permit the removal of the pattern from the mould. countable, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To be impudent towards.

    "Don't cheek me, you little rascal!"

  2. 2
    speak impudently to wordnet
  3. 3
    To pull a horse's head back toward the saddle using the cheek strap of the bridle.

    "Such horses might need to be "cheeked" for a while."

  4. 4
    To put or keep something in one’s cheek.

    "The squirrel cheeked some nuts before heading back to its nest."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English cheeke, cheke, cheoke, choke, from Old English ċēce, ċēace, ċēoce (“cheek; jaw”), from Proto-West Germanic *kākā, *keukā (“jaw, cheek”), from Proto-Germanic *kēkǭ, *keukǭ (“jaw; palate; pharynx”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵyewh₁- (“to chew”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sooke (“cheek”), West Frisian tsjeak (“jaw”), Dutch kaak (“jaw; cheek”), Swedish käke (“jaw; jowl”), Norwegian kjake (“jaw”), Old Norse kók (“mouth; gullet”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English cheeke, cheke, cheoke, choke, from Old English ċēce, ċēace, ċēoce (“cheek; jaw”), from Proto-West Germanic *kākā, *keukā (“jaw, cheek”), from Proto-Germanic *kēkǭ, *keukǭ (“jaw; palate; pharynx”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵyewh₁- (“to chew”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sooke (“cheek”), West Frisian tsjeak (“jaw”), Dutch kaak (“jaw; cheek”), Swedish käke (“jaw; jowl”), Norwegian kjake (“jaw”), Old Norse kók (“mouth; gullet”).

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