cheek
/t͡ʃiːk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.96 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The soft skin on each side of the face, below the eyes; the outer surface of the sides of the oral cavity.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The lower part of the buttocks that is often exposed beneath very brief underwear, swimwear, or extremely short shorts.
Countable; Informal; Uncountable
noun
One of the genae, flat areas on the sides of a trilobite's cephalon.
Countable; Informal; Uncountable
noun
One of the pieces of a machine, or of timber or stonework, that form corresponding sides or a similar pair.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "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!— […]"
- "You’ve got some cheek, asking me for money!"
- "the cheeks of a vice"
- "the cheeks of a gun carriage"
- "Don't cheek me, you little rascal!"
- "We did not like him much because he kissed us and was preachy when we cheeked pretty Tallie, who did not rule over us as Dede did […]"
Etymology
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”).