Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To injure or wound (a horse) by accidentally striking it with a calk (a metal projection) on a horseshoe.
   • To seal or make watertight (a seam, joint, or crack) by filling it with a waterproof material. This meaning is now almost entirely replaced by the spelling caulk.
   • To provide or fit (a horseshoe or boot) with calks (metal projections).

2. Noun:

   • A metal projection or cleat on the heel or sole of a horseshoe (or sometimes a boot) to prevent slipping.

Usage and Examples

• Verb (to injure):
  • The rider was careful not to calk the horse when mounting.
• Verb (to seal):
  • The old spelling "calk" is rarely used; the modern spelling is caulk. For example: "You need to caulk (not calk) around the bathtub."
• Verb (to fit with calks):
  • The farrier will calk the new shoes for better traction on ice.
• Noun:
  • The blacksmith added sharp calks to the horseshoe for the winter season.
  • The logger's boots had heavy calks on the soles.

Advanced Usage and Notes

• The primary modern use of the word calk is as a noun referring to the traction device on a horseshoe. The verb form meaning "to seal" is considered an archaic or variant spelling of caulk. In contemporary English, always use caulk for the sealing action.
• The verb form meaning "to injure with a calk" is highly specific to equestrian contexts.

Variants and Related Words

• Caulk (verb/noun): The standard modern spelling for the act of sealing seams or the material used for sealing. This is the most common word related to "calk."
• Calkin (noun): Another term for a calk on a horseshoe.

Synonyms

• For the sealing action: seal, stop up, make watertight (but use caulk as the specific verb).
• For the noun (traction device): cleat, stud, grip.

Phrasal Verbs

• Not applicable for this word.

Idioms

• Not applicable for this word.

Noun

1. a metal cleat on the bottom front of a horseshoe to prevent slipping

Verb

1. injure with a calk
2. seal with caulking
   • caulk the window
3. provide with calks
   • calk horse shoes