caulk

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to fill and seal a seam, crack, or joint so that air or water cannot pass through

   The crew caulked the wooden hull with oakum before launching it.

2. 2
   noun

   a flexible filler or sealant used to close seams, cracks, and joints

   She applied caulk around the window frame to stop the draft.

From Old Northern French cauquer, 'to press or tread down,' and Late Latin calicare, 'to fill with lime,' from calx, 'lime or limestone.' Shipwrights drove oakum into seams before sealing them. Calk is an established variant spelling of the sealing verb and noun.

Topics