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