- Caul
- Caul Caul (k[add]l), n. [OE. calle, kelle, prob. fr. F. cale;
cf. Ir. calla a veil.]
1. A covering of network for the head, worn by women; also, a
net. --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Anat.) The fold of membrane loaded with fat, which covers more or less of the intestines in mammals; the great omentum. See {Omentum}. [1913 Webster]
The caul serves for the warming of the lower belly. --Ray. [1913 Webster]
3. A part of the amnion, one of the membranes enveloping the fetus, which sometimes is round the head of a child at its birth; -- called also a {veil}. [1913 Webster +PJC]
It is deemed lucky to be with a caul or membrane over the face. This caul is esteemed an infallible preservative against drowning . . . According to Chrysostom, the midwives frequently sold it for magic uses. --Grose. [1913 Webster]
I was born with a caul, which was advertised for sale, in the newspapers, at the low price of fifteen guineas. --Dickens. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.