скула cheekbone

На скулах у него выступили красные пятна. Red blotches stood out on his cheekbones.

Semantics

This entry is concerned with the word скула, referring to the zygomatic bone on the human face, and also to the part of that bone below the eye, and to the area of the cheek overlying this bone. For some speakers, this area extends all the way down to the lower jaw; in fact, according to the dictionary by Владимир Даль, «Толковый словарь живого великорусского языка» published in 1880-1882, one of the meanings of the word скула is "jaw." This word does not refer to animals.

Morphology

скула ES f.in.noun

Use of prepositions: со vs. с

The variant со rather than с is used with the word скула.

Syntax

Syntactic actants

Actant 1: whose cheekbone it is
(a) Genitive
(b) Possessive
Скулы Николая сильно выступали над ввалившимися щеками. Nikolai's cheekbones jutted sharply out over his haggard cheeks.
Её правая скула была разбита до крови. Her right cheekbone was bruised and bloody.
NB When the word скула functions as a subject and does not have a descriptive modifier, the construction скула у + Genitive is often preferred to (a) and (b), above:
Скулы у Николая сильно выступали над ввалившимися щеками. Nikolai's cheekbones jutted sharply out over his haggard cheeks.

Restrictive modifiers

(a) adjectival modifier
левая/правая скула the left/right cheekbone
Правая скула у неё была разбита до крови. Her right cheekbone was bruised and bloody.

Lexical Relationships

Syntactic derivatives

скуловой Anatomical malar
скуловая кость zygomatic bone
-скулый pertaining to the cheekbone
широкоскулый having broad cheekbones

Appearance

широкие скулы broad cheekbones
широкоскулый having broad cheekbones
скуластое лицо a face with broad cheekbones
скуластый having prominent cheekbones
квадратные скулы square cheekbones
высокие скулы high cheekbones
выступать [no Pf.]: у Ng скулыn (сильно) выступают N's cheekbones protrude (sharply)
(сильно) выступающие скулы (very) prominent cheekbones
выдаваться [no Pf.]: у Ng скулыn выдаются N's cheekbones jut out
острые скулы sharp cheekbones
худые скулы thin cheekbones
быть обтянуты: у Ng скулыn (туго) обтянуты кожейi N's skin is stretched (tightly) over his cheekbones
Лицо больного страшно осунулось, скулы были туго обтянуты кожей. The invalid's face had grown terribly thin, the skin was stretched tightly across his cheekbones.

Conditions caused by emotions

выступать/выступить: у Ng на скулахp выступили (красные) пятнаn (or румянецn) (red) blotches broke out on N's cheekbones
NB The above expression is usually used to describe a state of rage, shame, embarrassment, or agitation.
ходить/заходить [Pf-begin]: у Ng желвакиn ходят (по скуламd) the muscles around N's cheekbones are tensed
NB The above expression is used only in reference to men. It usually describes a state of contained rage.

Inflicting injuries

двинуть [no Pf.] Nd по скулеd Colloquial; to smash/punch N in the face
ударять/ударить Na по скулеd
удар в скулуa a punch in the face
разбивать/разбить Nd/(себеd) скулуa to bloody N's/one's cheekbone
синяк на скулеp a bruise on the cheekbone
ставить/поставить Nd/(себеd) синякa на скулеp to give N/oneself a bruise on his/one's cheekbone
свернуть [no Impf.] Nd скулуa на бокa (or на сторонуa) Colloquial;
своротить [no Impf.] Nd скулуa на бокa (or на сторонуa) Colloquial 		to dislocate N's jaw
NB Note that the expressions свернуть скулу and своротить скулу, above, are used by those speakers for whom the word скула includes the jaw.

Sample texts

Всё лицо было смугло, изнурено недугом; широкие скулы выступали сильно над опавшими под ними щеками. [Н. Гоголь, Тарас Бульба] The face was swarthy, worn by illness; the broad cheekbones jutted out sharply over the sunken cheeks. [N. Gogol, "Taras Bulba"]
И Перец ударил его. Ударил, кажется, по скуле, с хрустом, и вывихнул себе палец. [Стругацкие, Улитка на склоне] And Pepper hit him. It seems he delivered a crunching blow to the cheekbone and dislocated his finger. [A. and B. Strugatskiy, The Snail on the Slope]