Standard Lemma guide

cheekbone

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈt͡ʃikˌboʊn/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: CH IY1 K B OW2 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The small prominent bone of the cheek.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: zygomatic bone, zygomatic, malar, malar bone, jugal bone, os zygomaticum

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bone, os

History

Etymology

From Middle English chekebon, chekbone, from Old English ċēacbān (“cheekbone”); equivalent to cheek + bone. Compare Dutch kaakbeen (“jawbone”).

Across languages

Translations

63 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: وَجْنَة (wajna) — bone
  • Arabic: عَظْم وَجْنِيّ (ʕaẓm wajniyy) — bone
  • Arabic: كرسي الخد (kursi el xad) — bone
  • Armenian: այտոսկր (aytoskr) — bone
  • Azerbaijani: almacıq — bone
  • Bulgarian: скула (skula) — bone
  • Catalan: pòmul — bone
  • Catalan: zigoma — bone
  • Chinese Mandarin: 頰骨 /颊骨 (jiágǔ) — bone
  • Chinese Mandarin: 顴骨 /颧骨 (quángǔ) — bone
  • Chuvash: пит шӑмми (pit šămmi) — bone
  • Czech: lícní kost — bone
  • Dutch: jukbeen — bone
  • Esperanto: vangosto — bone
  • Esperanto: zigomo — bone
  • Estonian: sarnaluu — bone
  • Finnish: poskiluu — bone
  • French: pommette — bone
  • French: zygoma — bone
  • West-Frisian: jokbonke — bone
  • West-Frisian: wangbonke — bone
  • German: Jochbein — bone
  • German: Wangenknochen — bone
  • German: Backenknochen — bone
  • Hungarian: járomcsont — bone
  • Ido: zigomato — bone
  • Ingrian: poskipää — bone
  • Italian: zigomo — bone
  • Italian: osso zigomatico — bone
  • Italian: malare — bone
  • Italian: osso malare — bone
  • Japanese: 頬骨 (kyōkotsu) — bone
  • Kalmyk: шана (şana) — bone
  • Korean: 광대뼈 (gwangdaeppyeo) — bone
  • Latin: māla — bone
  • Latvian: vaiga kauls — bone
  • Malay: tulang pipi — bone
  • Malay: pasu-pasu — bone
  • Malay: tulang bercagak — bone
  • Malay: zigoma — bone
  • Māori: rei — bone
  • Nogai: бет суьеги (bet süyegi) — bone
  • Persian: استخوان گونه (ostoxân-e gune) — bone
  • Polish: kość policzkowa — bone
  • Portuguese: zigoma — bone
  • Portuguese: zigomático — bone
  • Portuguese: maçã do rosto — bone
  • Russian: скула́ (skulá) — bone
  • Slovak: lícna kosť — bone
  • Slovene: ličnica — bone
  • Spanish: pómulo — bone
  • Spanish: cigoma — bone
  • Swedish: okben — bone
  • Swedish: kindben — bone
  • Swedish: kindknota — bone
  • Tagalog: buto ng pisngi — bone
  • Tagalog: butumpisngi — bone
  • Lower Tanana: -entl'otth'ena' — bone
  • Turkish: elmacık kemiği — bone
  • Udmurt: бамлы (bamly) — bone
  • Ukrainian: ви́лиця (výlycja) — bone
  • Uyghur: ياڭاق (ya'ngaq) — bone
  • Uyghur: زاڭاق (za'ngaq) — bone