Pronunciation: h ə - ' käl
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural ja · ca · les \ - ' kä-( ˌ )l ā s \ also ja · cals
Etymology: Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl xahcalli
Date: 1838
: a hut in Mexico and southwestern U.S. with a thatched roof and walls made of upright poles or sticks covered and chinked with mud or clay