Caul: Or cowl, a membrane, in obstetrics and cooking.
In obstetrics, the caul is the amnion, one of the two fetal membranes, the other being the chorion. To be born in a caul meant to be born with the head covered by the amnion (or be born within an intact unruptured amnion). To be born in a caul was long believed to be a sign of future greatness.
In cooking, the caul is the greater omentum, the lacy membrane that hangs like an apron in front of the intestines within the abdominal cavity. The caul is used to wrap and hold meat together. (The caul may be pork, beef, sheep, goat, etc.) The caul melts during cooking, adding moisture to the contents and flavor to the meat.
Caul is pronounced "kawl" and comes (as does cowl) from the Gaelic "call" meaning "veil."
n. A portion of the amnion, especially when it covers the head of a fetus at birth. Also called pileus . See greater omentum . [Middle English calle , from Old ...
A caul is a part of the amniotic sac that clings to the infant as it is born. Cauls are associated with many superstitions, namely...
noun 1. a part of the amnion sometimes covering the head of a child at birth. 2. greater omentum. 3. a net lining in the back of a woman's cap or hat. 4. a cap or hat ...
A caul or cowl is a thin, filmy membrane, the amnion, that can cover a newborn's head and face immediately after birth. Obstetrics A child "born with the caul" has a portion ...
Definition of CAUL. 1: the large fatty omentum covering the intestines (as of a cow, sheep, or pig) 2: the inner fetal membrane of higher vertebrates especially when ...