Main Entry:

ja·cal

Pronunciation:

\hə-ˈkäl\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural ja·ca·les \-ˈkä-(ˌ)lās\ also ja·cals

Etymology:

Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl xahcalli

Date:

1838

: a hut in Mexico and southwestern United States with a thatched roof and walls made of upright poles or sticks covered and chinked with mud or clay