Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To make watertight or airtight by filling or sealing: caulk a pipe joint; caulked the cracks between the boards with mud.
- v. Nautical To make (a boat) watertight by packing seams with a waterproof material, such as oakum or pitch.
- v. To apply caulking: caulked all around the window frame.
- n. Caulking.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- See calk.
Wiktionary
- n. caulking
- n. 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.
- v. To drive oakum into the seams of a ship's wooden deck or hull in order to make them watertight
- v. To apply caulking to joints, cracks, or a juncture of different materials.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. See calk, v..
- v. to fill in the seams or cracks of, with a waterproof material such as caulk.
- n. See calk.
- n. a viscous semisolid material of varying composition used to fill in seams of objects which are exposed to water, such as wooden ships or bath tiles; -- called also
calk andcaulking . After applying in a semisolid form, the material hardens and dries to form a waterproof seal. It is used in the process of caulking. It is sometimes applied together with a rope-like cord to fill larger seams.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a waterproof filler and sealant that is used in building and repair to make watertight
- v. seal with caulking
Etymologies
- Middle English cauken, to press, from Old North French cauquer, from Latin calcāre, to tread, from calx, heel.
Examples
“During the day, there are no bars or clubs for the bitch brigade to get thrown out of, so much of last night's season 3 premiere focused on the conflict and "caulk" - friendly resolution of Amber #2's producer-encouraged "decision" to smash a window.”
“Hot dogs are barbecued Egyptian beef sausages called -- and these cookies called caulk (ph).”
“Once you've identified the spots that need caulking, be sure to pick the right kind of caulk for the job.”
Consumer Reports: Weekend Project: Caulk your way to energy and financial savings
“Also: I spent the better part of the day egregiously abusing the word "caulk" in conversation.”
“But the actor clearly mispronounces the screenplay's word "caulk" in the most hilarious way possible.”
“At the same instant one of the lookouts in the bows who had still remained at his post and had probably been awakened from a quiet "caulk" by the awful portent, suddenly shouted out in a ringing voice, that thrilled through every heart on board --”
“The caulk is a little sticky, but it’s easy to apply with a Spackle knife.”
“There was not the smallest murmur of subdued talk for'ard, for the watch had curled themselves up in the most comfortable places they could find in order to steal a "caulk", and I did not attempt to disturb them, knowing that at my first call they would be upon their feet in a moment.”
“Jorrocks, however, I noticed, remained still on the poop; and, knowing that he would not thus inconvenience himself by going without his proper "caulk," like the rest, unless there was some urgent reason -- for he dearly loved his sleep when duty did not interfere with the indulgence -- I stayed behind, too, the more especially as I remembered what he had said about there being the chance of a "blow.”
“This was easier said than done; for in the first place Weeks, who only seemed to think of eating and sleeping and nothing else, was having a quiet "caulk," as sailors call it, cuddled up in the bunk appropriated by Jerrold as being the roomiest, with all our blankets wrapped round him, although the day was quite warm and spring-like for February.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘caulk’.
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UK Usage - Find US Equivalent
All these terms have a (different) American English equivalent. Wonder if you can identify them?
abridgement (abri..., accoutrement, accoutre, acknowledgement (..., opposite, advert, adaptor, adapter, sticking plaster, advertise, adviser (advisor ..., adze, aesthete and 1196 more...
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Unknown
coalition, cabinet, tweet, defuse, steep, ancestral, mindset, breach, infraction, egregious, curb, backbite and 280 more...
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word's that gross me out
supple, moist, succulent, word's, caulk, flesh, limpid, endocrine, sauce
tankexmortis Boss #1: We have a caulk issue.
Boss #2: Is it big?
Boss #3: Very.
Employee passerby: I know all about caulk -- it's very sticky. Jan 31, 2007
tankexmortis Retiree visiting the office: I was working on the windows and running around the yard with my caulk in my hand, and I have this neighbor, Dave, who was standing in the bushes, and I didn't see him. But Dave scared me and there was caulk everywhere -- caulk all over the windows and caulk on my hands. No, I'm serious, there were inches of it coming out! You guys aren't even listening to me! I didn't know what to do about all of the caulk on my hands but I called the 800 number on the side of it and the guy said that friction could get it off. Dec 5, 2006