Caulking

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A pliable substance used to fill gaps and prevent water or air leaks in construction ; the process of filling gaps or seams with a sealing material to make structures watertight
2. A flexible compound employed to seal joints against moisture and drafts ; the action of applying this sealing compound to close cracks and prevent leaks
3. Material that blocks the passage of air or water in building joints ; the activity of placing this material into cracks or openings to ensure watertight or airtight conditions

Etymology: Caulking began as a stone-dust trade. The verb "caulk" comes from Old Northern French "cauquer," which descends from Late Latin "calicare," meaning to fill in with limestone. That Latin verb is built on "calx," the word for limestone or chalk, so the older sense of sealing gaps was literally a matter of packing them with lime. The same root gives English "chalk" and "calculus," the latter originally meaning a small pebble. The modern sense of a sealing compound is a shift from the original material to the job it was used for. Caulking is the present participle of "caulk," so the noun names both the substance applied to seams and the act of applying it. Here the word has moved from a particular filler to a general category of sealant, while its ancestor still points back to chalk.

Synonyms: sealant, filling, putty, mortar, adhesive