English
cheek
Cheek comes from Proto-West Germanic *kākā ‘jaw, cheek’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *kēkǭ.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kēkǭreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kākā‘jaw, cheek’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ċēce
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cheeke
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598cheek
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kēkǭreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kākā‘jaw, cheek’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ċēce
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cheeke
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598cheek
Earliest quotation: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵyewh₁- ‘to chew’
chew, gingival, gingivitis, chaw, 3 more
Today it means
noun The soft skin on each side of the face, below the eyes; the outer surface of the sides of the oral cavity.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *kēkǭ / cheek