Etymology Dictionary

CALK, CAULK,  to stop up the seams of a ship.  (F.,—L.)   The sb. calkers occurs in the A. V. Ezek. xxvii. 9; the marg. note has:  'strengtheners, or stoppers of chinks.'   The M.E. cauken signifies 'to tread;' P. Plowman, C. xv. 162; xiv. 171.   The spelling with l was probably adopted to assimilate the word more closely to the orig. Lat.—O.F. cauquer, to tread; also, to tent a wound, i.e. to insert a roll of lint in it, to prevent its healing too quickly; Cotgrave.—Lat. calcare, to tread, trample, press grapes, tread down, tread in, press close.  (The notion in calk is that of forcing in by great pressure.)—Lat. calx (stem calc-), the heel; cognate with E. Heel.   β. Cf. Irish calcadh, driving, caulking; cailcaim, I harden, fasten; calcam, to drive with a hammer, to caulk; calcain, a caulker.   Also Gael. calc, to caulk, drive, ram, cram, push violently; calcaire, a driver, rammer.   [Hence Lowland Sc. to ca’ a nail, i.e. to drive it in with a hammer.]   Der. calk-er.