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caulk also calk

(kôk)

v. caulked, caulk·ing, caulks also calked or calk·ing or calks

v.tr.

1. To make watertight or airtight by filling or sealing: caulk a pipe joint; caulked the cracks between the boards with mud.

2. Nautical To make (a boat) watertight by packing seams with a waterproof material, such as oakum or pitch.

v.intr.

To apply caulking: caulked all around the window frame.

Caulking.

[Middle English cauken, to press, from Old North French cauquer, from Latin calcāre, to tread, from calx, heel.]

caulker n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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