caulk

or calk

[kawk]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR caulk ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to fill or close seams or crevices of (a tank, window, etc.) in order to make watertight, airtight, etc.

to make (a vessel) watertight by filling the seams between the planks with oakum or other material driven snug.

to fill or close (a seam, joint, etc.), as in a boat.

to drive the edges of (plating) together to prevent leakage.

noun

Also caulk·ing

[kaw-king] /ˈkɔ kɪŋ/. a material or substance used for caulking.

Origin of caulk

1350–1400; < Latin calcāre to trample, tread on (verbal derivative of calx heel), conflated with Middle English cauken < Old French cauquer to trample < Latin, as above

Can be confusedcalk caulk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for caulk

block, shutter, shut, lock, plug, clog, secure, fence, trammel, wall, dam, dike, blockade, jam, barricade, bolt, fasten, close, latch, seal

Examples from the Web for caulk

Historical Examples of caulk

I've forgotten to caulk that seam over your bunk, and it's going to rain.
The Riddle of the Sands
Erskine Childers
This satisfied them that they must caulk the boat before they could venture out to sea in her.
The Three Admirals
W.H.G. Kingston
Billy, who was always ready for a caulk, lay down in the stern sheets.
The Three Admirals
W.H.G. Kingston
"Haines was to send a man to caulk a seam in the Nancy," he muttered.
Prisoners of Hope
Mary Johnston
The beginner should start at the trap and caulk the joints with the trap held in place.
Elements of Plumbing
Samuel Dibble

British Dictionary definitions for caulk

caulk

calk

verb

to stop up (cracks, crevices, etc) with a filler

nautical to pack (the seams) between the planks of the bottom of (a vessel) with waterproof material to prevent leakage

Derived Formscaulker or calker, noun

Word Origin for caulk

C15: from Old Northern French cauquer to press down, from Latin calcāre to trample, from calx heel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for caulk

late 14c., "to stop up crevices or cracks," from Old North French cauquer, from Late Latin calicare "to stop up chinks with lime," from Latin calx (2) "lime, limestone" (see chalk). Original sense is nautical, of making ships watertight. Related: Caulked; caulking. As a noun, "caulking material," by 1980 (caulking in this sense was used from 1743). Related: Caulker.