calk
Americannoun
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Also a projection on a horseshoe to prevent slipping on ice, pavement, etc.
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Also a similar device on the heel or sole of a shoe to prevent slipping.
verb (used with object)
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to provide with calks.
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to injure with a calk.
noun
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a metal projection on a horse's shoe to prevent slipping
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a set of spikes or a spiked plate attached to the sole of a boot, esp by loggers, to prevent slipping
verb
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to provide with calks
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to wound with a calk
verb
verb
Etymology
Origin of calk
1580–90; perhaps a back formation from calkin, taken as a verb calk + -in present participle suffix ( Middle English -inde ), confused with -ing 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Uses: to calk or waterproof boats, insulate wires, or patch holes in shoe soles.
From Time Magazine Archive
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One of the most popular courses is "The Self-Confident Home Mechanic," designed to teach students how to repair light switches, calk pipes and fix appliances.
From Time Magazine Archive
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All she wanted was to be allowed to get on with what mattered: calk the windows; weatherstrip the door.
From Time Magazine Archive
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The calk of the iron shoe was left sticking in the barn door.
From Old Rail Fence Corners The A. B. C's. of Minnesota History by Lucy Leavenworth Wilder Morris
Causes.—Injuries to the coronet, such as bruises, overreaching, and calk wounds, are considered as the common causes of this disease.
From Special Report on Diseases of the Horse by Charles B. Michener
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.