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. 2018

Related Words for caulking

padding, lining, covering, block, shutter, shut, packing, caulking, furring, lock, plug, clog, secure, fence, trammel, wall, dam, dike, blockade

Examples from the Web for caulking

Historical Examples of caulking

It might be managed, perhaps, and he decided to do the caulking as requested by Roberts.
The Trail of a Sourdough
May Kellogg Sullivan
When the ship's labouring forces the caulking out of her seams.
The Sailor's Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
I did a lot of caulking yesterday, but I suppose I missed that place.
The Riddle of the Sands
Erskine Childers
If a short bend fitting is used, the matter of caulking is difficult.
Elements of Plumbing
Samuel Dibble
This fitting is threaded on one end and has a socket on the other to allow for caulking.
Elements of Plumbing
Samuel Dibble

British Dictionary definitions for caulking

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 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.