Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The hood or hooded robe worn especially by a monk.
- n. A draped neckline on a woman's garment.
- n. A hood-shaped covering used to increase the draft of a chimney.
- n. The top portion of the front part of an automobile body, supporting the windshield and dashboard.
- n. The cowling on an aircraft.
- v. To cover with or as if with a cowl.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A hood attached to a gown or robe, and admitting of being drawn over the head or of being worn hanging on the shoulders: worn chiefly by monks, and characteristic of their dress or profession.
- n. A garment with a hood (vestis caputiata), black or gray or brown, varying in length in different ages and according to the usages of different orders, but having these two permanent characteristics, that it covered the head and shoulders, and that it was without sleeves.
- n. Hence A monk.
- n. A covering, originally cowl-shaped, for the top of a chimney or the upper end of a soil-pipe or ventilating shaft, made to turn with the wind, and intended to assist ventilation.
- n. A wire cap or cage on the top of a locomotive-funnel.
- n. An old name in some parts of England for a tub or large vessel for holding liquids; specifically, a large vessel for water, to be carried on a pole between two persons.
- n. See kowl.
Wiktionary
- n. A monk's hood or hooded robe
- n. A mask that covers the majority of the head.
- n. A metal protective covering that covers the engine; also cowling
- n. A usually hood-shaped covering used to increase the draft of a chimney and prevent backflow.
- n. nautical A ship's ventilator with a bell-shaped top which can be swivelled to catch the wind and force it below
- n. nautical A vertical projection of a ship's funnel that directs the smoke away from the bridge
- n. obsolete, UK A soe
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A monk's hood; -- usually attached to the gown. The name was also applied to the hood and garment together.
- n. A cowl-shaped cap, commonly turning with the wind, used to improve the draft of a chimney, ventilating shaft, etc.
- n. A wire cap for the smokestack of a locomotive.
- n. (aviation) a removable metal covering for an aircraft engine, providing streamlining to minimize wind resistance; -- also called
cowling . - n. a covering for a chimney or other ventilating shaft functioning to increase the draft.
- n. A vessel carried on a pole between two persons, for conveyance of water.
WordNet 3.0
- v. cover with or as with a cowl
- n. a loose hood or hooded robe (as worn by a monk)
- n. protective covering consisting of a metal part that covers the engine
Etymologies
- From Middle English coule, from Old English cule, from cugele, from Late Latin cuculla ("monk's cowl")," from Latin cucullus ("hood"). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English coule, from Old English cugele, from Late Latin cuculla, from Latin cucullus, hood. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The CAVEMEN FAMILY fashion him a bat cowl from the corpses of the fallen Bat Behemoths.”
Bruce Wayne Returns in April | Major Spoilers - Comic Book Reviews and News
“Novices wear a black mantle and their cowl is short and unjoined.”
“The mouth cover of the cowl was always very symbolic of Cass, who had difficulties interacting with people due to her violent upbringing and speech impediment.”
“Cowl Past Batmen have had a hard time turning their heads (paging Michael Keaton), because the cowl was a solid piece of rubber attached to the suit itself.”
Wired: The Dark Knight: 'Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys?'
“I, that am but a woman, would try first whether my rock or his cowl was the better metal.”
“On her cowl was a wreath of nightshade, with its dull purple fruit and blossoms clustering around her shadowed brow.”
“Under the cowl was the lover with whom Mademoiselle's thoughts had been engaged.”
“You can hide yourself away under your cowl, that is a good place for you!”
“Passing over a railroad track, you could actually watch the dash and windshield move before your very eyes a phenomenon known as cowl shake.”
“Note that the purl side of the cowl is the inside, so that it matches the body of the vest when folded over.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘cowl’.
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IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
veal, valve, used, yak, wax, wan, teak, vat, vas, strip, use, strap and 4515 more...
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common UA vocab. in US
Interesting, there is a traditional vocabulary of an Ukrainian, that differs from vocabulary of average American. It would be nice to explore it.
jackdaw, incongruous, cassock, vivid, magpie, humdrum, amongst, wonder, wandering, wheedling, wheedle, osseous and 368 more...
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On with their heads!
Words that make other words with the addition of one letter at the beginning. The resulting words are tagged "behead".
men, his, yes, any, iota, limb, aged, laid, land, lead, read, word and 327 more...
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Ecclesiastical Vestments
Names of articles of clothing and paraphernalia worn by or pertaining to the clergy in former and modern times. Trappings, uniforms, call them what you will. Because the term dog collar, once-remov...
mitra pretiosa, auriferata, chasuble, phelonion, plicata, garment, amphibalus, amphibalum, casula planeta, casula, tunicle, maniple and 109 more...
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Change one letter
Change one letter in the title of an existing book, and create an entirely new literary work. Add a one-sentence comment, describing the new work.
all the pretty ho..., the brothels kara..., caesar's garlic wars, the unbearable ti..., a heartbreaking w..., the good marrow, the right stiff, lady windermere's..., infinite pest, the cremains of t..., eyes on the pride, the spoils of boy... and 747 more...
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Owls
owl, owls, bowl, howl, acknowledge, batfowl, barn owl, barred owl, bowlder, bowler, bowlegged, lawn bowling and 40 more...
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names of hats
liripipe, cowl, capuchon, liripipium, snood, bonnet, toque, turban, poke, toboggan-cap, crown, fedora and 72 more...
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the brothers
factotem, extrapolation, antinomy, antenome, pusillanimous, capons, caftan, pejorative, cropper, cowl, perfidious, fichu and 138 more...
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the first list
an immense, grandiloquent list that loads like a thousand years sentence in stone. new words are in the other lists.
ridiculous, brummagem, predicament, sanctimonious, vapid, eschew, admonish, auspicious, capitulation, enumerate, lachrymose, tenet and 1648 more...
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hats and headgear
Everything hats,things with hoods,hoods,scarves,crowns,useful
adjectival forms,hat expressions,
alternate spellingsbabushka, balaclava, bamoral, baseball cap, beanie, bearskin, beaver hat, beret, billycock, biretta, boater, bobble hat and 422 more...
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vocabulary
verisimilitude, pendulate, moxie, whimper, nary, stevedore, hubris, prodigious, super-injunction, injunction, lashings, fennel and 202 more...
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elvesoncrack's Words
lachrymose, blustering, fjord, chihuahua, chiffon, catalytic, stile, gefilte, prosh, thwart, ralph, ickle and 379 more...
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deidionysus's list
Words, words, words!
cartesian, shavian, dithyramb, dreadnaught, lea, adamantine, titanomachy, theomachy, aethereal, ambrosia, ambrosial, aether and 183 more...
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Studying
parry, palliate, cadge, dissemble, bathos, arrogate, dilatory, ipso facto, ontogeny, recondite, specious, miasma and 90 more...
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Words Covered in Faery Dust (C)
words that evoke magic, mystery, mayhem, magnificence or anything else that glimmers in the grass
cacophony, cad, cajole, calamity, camomile, camphor, candlemas, candy apple, canopy, canticle, caparison, caravan and 304 more...
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Spelling Bee list 2011
Abalone, ablution, absolution, aboriginally, abstemious, academician, acclamation, accommodation, acculturation, acetic, acetone, acme and 590 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for cowl.

sionnach Ginsberg's account of the love that dared not speak its name - that between Batman and Robin Nov 5, 2009
bilby "The man who had tried to help him was wearing one of the monklike butcher's cowls. He stood now like a medieval figure, waiting."
- 'The Colour Of Blood', Brian Moore. Jan 3, 2008