kayak
or kai·ak, ky·ack, ky·ak
[kahy-ak]
- an Eskimo 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.
- a small boat resembling this, made commercially of a variety of materials and used in sports.
Show More
- to go or travel by kayak.
Show More
- to travel on by kayak: to kayak the Colorado River.
Show More
Origin of kayak
First recorded in 1750–60, kayak is from the Inuit word qayaq
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for kayaking
Contemporary Examples
Lesser sports facilities—used for rowing, baseball, and kayaking contests in the 2008 Games—now seem deserted.
Architectural White Elephants: Beijing, London, and the Post-Olympics CurseMelinda Liu
August 14, 2012
Kayaking certainly proves a compelling metaphor for both writing and grief.
3 Must Reads: ‘Kayak Morning,’ ‘Mr. g,’ and ‘Alex Gilvarry’Hillary Kelly, Mythili Rao, Jacob Silverman
February 8, 2012
Like writing, kayaking is all a balancing act, a one-man show of force and skill.
3 Must Reads: ‘Kayak Morning,’ ‘Mr. g,’ and ‘Alex Gilvarry’Hillary Kelly, Mythili Rao, Jacob Silverman
February 8, 2012
kayak
kaiak
- a small light canoe-like boat used by the Inuit, consisting of a light frame covered with watertight animal skins
- a fibreglass or canvas-covered canoe of similar design
Show More
Word Origin
C18: from Inuktitut (Greenland dialect)
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 kayaking
kayak
n.
1757, from Danish kajak, from Greenland Eskimo qayaq, literally "small boat of skins." The verb is attested from 1875, from the noun.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper