kayak

[ kahy-ak ]

noun

1. a traditional Inuit or Yupik canoe with a skin cover on a light framework, made watertight by flexible closure around the waist of the occupant and propelled with a double-bladed paddle.
2. a small boat resembling this, made commercially of a variety of materials and used in sports.

verb (used without object)

1. to go or travel by kayak.

verb (used with object)

1. to travel on by kayak:

   to kayak the Colorado River.

kayak

/ ˈkaɪæk /

noun

1. a small light canoe-like boat used by the Inuit, consisting of a light frame covered with watertight animal skins
2. a fibreglass or canvas-covered canoe of similar design

Other Words From

• kay·ak·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of kayak¹

First recorded in 1750–60, kayak is from the Inuit word qayaq

Word History and Origins

Origin of kayak¹

C18: from Inuktitut (Greenland dialect)

Example Sentences

Get too close to a whale, he warned, and the song can actually shake the kayak.

From Washington Post

Load up your kayak and head inland to the Donnell Pond Public Reserved Land, a 14,000-acre forested reserve about an hour’s drive north of Bar Harbor.

From Outside Online

After living in that house for a while, Debra finally said to herself, “You know, that river’s not just to look at,” and rented kayaks, something Barry had never done.

From Outside Online

Len also documented the Potomac River, which he explored by kayak, and the treatment plant and sewer system.

From Washington Post

A lot of people were zipping around on motorboats they had kept in their driveways, also some kayaks like mine.

From Nautilus

Dr. Neal is a spine surgeon who made a trip to heaven while drowning in a kayak accident in South America.

From The Daily Beast

Other new admissions to the dictionary include qayaq—an alternate spelling of kayak—and thongy.

From The Daily Beast

They have a modest second home, somewhere near the mountains where they can hike and bike and kayak and generally enjoy nature.

From The Daily Beast

They include Kayak, an online travel broker, and VKontakte, a social-networking site in Russia.

From The Daily Beast

In this sense, Kayak Morning itself is both an exercise and a product.

From The Daily Beast

We supposed that the paddle and the harpoon went with the kayak.

From Project Gutenberg

While we were at breakfast, Weymouth came down to report a kayak coming off.

From Project Gutenberg

Kiv-i-ung, who had never abused the boy, had gone out with the rest, but his kayak did not capsize.

From Project Gutenberg

He was so frightened that he nearly upset his kayak, but he steadied it and arose to his feet, lifting his spear.

From Project Gutenberg

He closed his eyes, the backbone became a kayak, and away he sped over the water.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• outrigger