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Added 9 October 2026

caulk

/kɔːk/ noun

Latin root: calicāre Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about caulk at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Caulking.
A composition of vehicle and pigment used at ambient temperatures for filling/sealing joints or junctures, that remains elastic for an extended period of time after application.
Alternative form of calk (“pointed projection on a horseshoe”).

verb

To drive oakum into the seams of a ship's wooden deck or hull to make it watertight.
To apply caulking to joints, cracks, or a juncture of different materials.
To copulate.

Origin

From Old Northern French cauquer, from Late Latin calicāre (“to fill in with limestone, caulk”), derived from calx (“limestone, chalk”). Related to calx, cauk, chalk, and calculus.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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