kayak

or kai·ak, ky·ack, ky·ak

[kahy-ak]

noun

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.

verb (used without object)

to go or travel by kayak.

verb (used with object)

to travel on by kayak: to kayak the Colorado River.

Origin of kayak

First recorded in 1750–60, kayak is from the Inuit word qayaq

Related formskay·ak·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for kayaking

Contemporary Examples of kayaking

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 Curse
Melinda 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

British Dictionary definitions for kayaking

kayak

kaiak

noun

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

Word Origin for kayak

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

1757, from Danish kajak, from Greenland Eskimo qayaq, literally "small boat of skins." The verb is attested from 1875, from the noun.