# cowl

> English word · Noun · IPA /kaʊl/ · frequency rank #33,997

## Definitions
1. A monk's hood that can be pulled forward to cover the face; a robe with such a hood attached to it.
2. A mask that covers the majority of the head.
3. A thin protective covering over all or part of an engine; also cowling.
4. A usually hood-shaped covering used to increase the draft of a chimney and prevent backflow.
5. A ship's ventilator with a bell-shaped top which can be swivelled to catch the wind and force it below.
6. A vertical projection of a ship's funnel that directs the smoke away from the bridge.
7. A monk.

## Etymology
From Middle English coule, from Old English cūle, from earlier cugele (“hood, cowl”), from Ecclesiastical Latin cuculla (“monk's cowl”), from Latin cucullus (“hood”), of uncertain origin. Doublet of cagoule.

## Easily confused with
- **CW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-cw)
- **cox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-cox)
- **coz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-coz)
- **coy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-coy)
- **cpl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-cpl)
- **CSL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-csl)
- **cows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-cows)
- **crow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-crow)
- **cozy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-cozy)
- **curl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-curl)
- **Ctrl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-ctrl)
- **cull** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-cull)
- **crowd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-crowd)
- **crown** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-crown)
- **crawl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-crawl)
- **crows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-crows)
- **Coyle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-coyle)
- **Cowley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowl-vs-cowley)
- **co** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/co-vs-cowl)
- **Cl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cl-vs-cowl)

## Common misspellings (6)
`ccowl`, `colw`, `cowll`, `cowwl`, `cwol`, `ocwl`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cowl