caul

UK: /kɔːl/ US: (kôl)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

caul¹  (kôl), n. 

1. Anatomy a part of the amnion sometimes covering the head of a child at birth.
2. Anatomy See greater omentum. 
3. Clothing a net lining in the back of a woman's cap or hat.
4. Clothing a cap or hat of net formerly worn by women.

• Middle French cale, probably back formation from calotte kind of cap; see calotte
• Middle English calle 1300–50

caul²  (kôl), n. 

1. a form or plate for pressing a veneer or veneers being glued to a backing or to each other.

• German Keil wedge
• French cale shim

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

caul / kɔːl/ noun

1. a portion of the amniotic sac sometimes covering a child's head at birth

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French cale, back formation from calotte close-fitting cap, of Germanic origin