caulk
or calk
[ kawk ]
/ kɔk /
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.
Nearby words
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
Examples from the Web for caulking
British Dictionary definitions for caulking
caulk
calk
/ (kɔːk) /
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
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Word Origin and History for caulking
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper