cowl

noun \ ˈkau̇(-ə)l \

Definition of cowl

1 a :a hood or long hooded cloak especially of a monk

b :a draped neckline on a woman's garment

2 a :a chimney covering designed to improve the draft

b :the top portion of the front part of an automobile body forward of the two front doors to which are attached the windshield and instrument board

c :cowling

See cowl defined for English-language learners

See cowl defined for kids

Recent Examples of cowl from the Web

Over the course of the class, participants learn to cast on, the knit and purl stitches, how to bind off and seam up a cowl.

— Lake County News-Sun, "Calendar," 29 Aug. 2017
A contoured steering wheel and paddle shifters (where applicable) front a lower cowl, which should work with 20 percent thinner A-pillars—enabled by the ultra-high-strength steel—to improve forward visibility.

— andrew wendler, Car and Driver, "2018 Honda Accord: Major Changes for the 10th-Generation Best Seller," 17 July 2017
The nose cowl on that Trent 700 engine also had torn away and had reportedly been ingested by the engine.

— jon ostrower, CNN, "Part of engine on China Eastern Airlines jet tears away after takeoff," 11 June 2017
West quickly struggled to find work, forced to make appearances in his cape and cowl at car shows and carnivals and in such obscure films as The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker (1971), written by Semple, and The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood (1980).

— mike barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, "Adam West, Straight-Faced Star of TV's 'Batman,' Dies at 88," 10 June 2017
Years later, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck would don Bruce Wayne’s camouflaging cape and cowl.

— Washington Post, "Adam West, who played 1960s-era Batman, dies at 88," 10 June 2017
Adam West, the ardent actor who managed to keep his tongue in cheek while wearing the iconic cowl of the Caped Crusader on the classic 1960s series Batman, has died.

— mike barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, "Adam West, Straight-Faced Star of TV's 'Batman,' Dies at 88," 10 June 2017
Years later, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck would don Bruce Wayne's camouflaging cape and cowl.

— tamika moore, AL.com, "University of Alabama student Jessica Procter crowned Miss Alabama 2017," 10 June 2017
West was proud of the iconic Batman character, which Ben Affleck played recently, but actually wearing the cape and cowl posed challenges.

— jayme deerwester, USA TODAY, "Adam West, who played TV's 'Batman,' dies at 88," 10 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cowl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cowl

Middle English cowle, from Old English cugele, from Late Latin cuculla monk's hood, from Latin cucullus hood

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

Other Clothing Terms

babushka, brogue, bumbershoot, cravat, dishabille, furbelow, layette, raiment, spectator

cowl

verb

Definition of cowl

transitive verb

:to cover with or as if with a cowl

Recent Examples of cowl from the Web

Cowling made a 3-pointer for a 57-52 lead with 6:54 left to play.

— elliott almond, The Mercury News, "No. 10 Stanford holds off Cal to stay in first place," 16 Feb. 2017

First Known Use of cowl

1536

Cowl

biographical name \ ˈkau̇(-ə)l \

Definition of Cowl

Jane 1883–1950 originally Grace Bailey American actress

COWL Defined for English Language Learners

cowl

noun

Definition of cowl for English Language Learners

: a loose piece of clothing with a hood that a monk wears over other clothes; also : the hood itself
: a covering for a chimney that controls the way smoke flows out