Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cheek” come from?

Cheek comes from Middle English cheke, Old English ċēce, Proto-Germanic kakǭ, and Proto-Indo-European gog, with ultimate origins unclear.

cheek (English): The soft skin on each side of the face, below the...

Definitions

  1. The soft skin on each side of the face, below the...

Ancestry of “cheek”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcheeke—
2Old Englishċēce—
3Proto-West Germanickākājaw, cheek
4Proto-Germanickēkǭ—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵyewh₁-to chew

Words derived from “cheek”

  • cheeks
  • cheeky
  • cheekily
  • cheekiness
  • cheekpiece
  • cheekful
  • sweetcheeks
  • asscheek
  • doorcheek
  • cheeker
  • cheekless
  • arsecheek
  • nether cheek
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵyewh₁- →