'Cheeks' (
Latin: ''bucca'', also ''malā'': "jaw") constitute the area of the
face below the
eyes and between the
nose and the left or right
ear.
It is fleshy in humans and other
mammals, the skin being suspended by the
chin and the
jaws, and forming the lateral wall of the human mouth, visibly touching the
cheekbone below the eye.
In
vertebrates, markings on the cheek area ('malar stripes/spots/...'), particularly immediately beneath the eye, often serve as important distinguishing features between
species or
individuals.
"'Buccal'" means relating to the cheek.
In humans, the region is innervated by the
buccal nerve.