caul

Etymology

From Middle English calle, kelle, kalle, kolle (“caul, net, basket”), from Old English cāwl, cāul, cēawl, cēaul (“basket, container, net, sieve”), of uncertain origin. Reinforced by Old French cale (“close-fitting cap”), possibly a borrowing of the Old English term above, or alternatively related to Old French calotte (“headdress”), from Italian callotta, from Latin calautica (“type of female headdress which fell down over the shoulders”), itself of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots kell (“caul”).

noun

1. (historical) A style of close-fitting circular cap worn by women in the sixteenth century and later, often made of linen.
2. (Britain, historical, often capitalized, used on maps) An entry to a mill lead taken from a burn or stream (a mill lead (or mill waterway) is generally smaller than a canal but moves a large volume of water).
3. (anatomy, obsolete except in specific senses) A membrane.
4. The thin membrane which covers the lower intestines; the omentum.
5. The amnion which encloses the foetus before birth, especially that part of it which sometimes shrouds a baby’s head at birth (traditionally considered to be good luck).
   Even in the mid seventeenth century a country gentleman might regard his caul as a treasure to be preserved with great care, and bequeathed to his descendants. 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 182
6. The surface of a press that makes contact with panel product, especially a removable plate or sheet.
7. (woodworking) A strip or block of wood used to distribute or direct clamping force.
8. (cooking) Caul fat.