Word.ws English Dictionary

calk

/kælk/

calk noun: a pointed projection on a horseshoe to prevent its slipping. Also the alternative form of caulk.

Noun

calk (plural calks)

  1. A pointed projection on a horseshoe to prevent its slipping.
    Synonyms:
    calkin, caulkin, caulken
  2. A spike on the sole of a boot to prevent slipping, particularly used in logging.
    • Near-synonym: cleat
    Synonyms:
    cleat

Verb (1)

calk (third-person singular simple present calks, present participle calking, simple past and past participle calked)

  1. To make an indentation in the edge of a metal plate, as along a seam in a steam boiler or an iron ship, to force the edge of the upper plate hard against the lower and so fill the crevice.

Verb (2)

calk (third-person singular simple present calks, present participle calking, simple past and past participle calked)

  1. To copy (a drawing) by rubbing the back of it with red or black chalk, and then passing a blunt stylus or needle over the lines, so as to leave a tracing on the paper or other thing against which it is laid or held.

Proper noun capitalized: Calk

Calk (countable and uncountable, plural Calks)

  1. A surname from German.
  2. An unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Kentucky, United States.

Also used as

calk is also the alternative form of caulk.

calk is also the alternative spelling of caulk.

Synonyms of calk

Forms of calk

Noun
pluralcalks
Verb
third-person singular presentcalks
present participlecalking
past participlecalked
pastcalked
alternative formcalque
Proper noun
pluralCalks

Origin of calk

From French calque, ultimately derived from Latin calcō (“to trample”). Doublet of calque.

Possibly a habitational surname from Calke in Derbyshire, or alternatively an Americanized spelling of German Kalk.

Words formed from calk

Words that rhyme with calk

Questions about calk

What does calk mean?
Calk means a pointed projection on a horseshoe to prevent its slipping.
What part of speech is calk?
Calk can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce calk?
Calk is pronounced /kælk/.
What is the plural of calk?
The plural of calk is calks.

Words near calk in the dictionary

  1. Calixtines
  2. Calixtinism
  3. Calixtins
  4. Calixtro
  5. Calixtros
  6. calk
  7. Calke
  8. calked
  9. calker
  10. calkers
  11. calkin

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: calk (page history and authors); Calk (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-calk.wav.

Cite this entry: “calk.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/calk. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.