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chalk

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See also: Chalk

English

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Chalk (noun sense 1) from Dover, England
Sticks of colorful chalk (noun sense 2)

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Etymology tree
Latin calxbor.
Proto-West Germanic *kalk
Old English ċealc
Middle English chalk
English chalk

    Inherited from Middle English chalk, chalke, from Old English ċealc, from Proto-West Germanic *kalk, borrowed from Latin calx (“limestone”), again borrowed from Ancient Greek χάλιξ (khálix, “pebble”). Doublet of calx and cauk.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    chalk (countable and uncountable, plural chalks)

    2. (uncountable) A soft, white, powdery limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO3).
      chalk cliffs are not recommended for climbing
    4. (countable) A piece of chalk, or nowadays processed compressed gypsum (calcium sulfate, CaSO4), that is used for drawing and for writing on a blackboard (chalkboard).
    6. (countable) Tailor's chalk.
    8. (uncountable, climbing, gymnastics) A white powdery substance used to prevent hands slipping from holds when climbing, or losing grip in weight-lifting or gymnastics, sometimes but not always limestone-chalk, often magnesium carbonate (MgCO3).
      when working out your next move, it's a good idea to get some more chalk from the bag
    10. (US, military, countable) A platoon-sized group of airborne soldiers.
    12. (US, sports, chiefly basketball, horse racing) The favorite in a sporting event.
    14. (US, sports, chiefly basketball) The prediction that there will be no upsets, and the favored competitor will win.
      • 1982 March 22, Phil Musick, “And the pick here is - Georgetown over Houston”, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‎[2], page 13:
        OK, let's get rid of the chalk players right away. The chalk likes North Carolina. Dean Smith has taken Carolina to the Final Four six times.
      • 1995 April 6, “Notes on a Scorecard”, in Los Angeles Times‎[3], archived from the original on 6 March 2012, retrieved 19 March 2009, page C3:
        Excuse us for sticking with the chalk, but the predicted winners are Afternoon Deelites in the Derby, Oliver McCall over Larry Holmes, Nick Faldo in the Masters, and Al Unser Jr. in the Grand Prix.
      • 2008 March 24, Jason Bauman, “Non-news of the week: Obama picks North Carolina”, in Beacon-News‎[4], Aurora, Illinois, archived from the original on 3 March 2012, retrieved 19 March 2009:
        Instead, he played the chalk and selected the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    Translations

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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Verb

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    chalk (third-person singular simple present chalks, present participle chalking, simple past and past participle chalked)

    1. To apply chalk to anything, such as the tip of a billiard cue.
      chalk your hands before climbing
      • 1944 January and February, Major J. C. F. Lloyd Williamson, “Ambulance Trains in Algeria and Tunisia”, in Railway Magazine, page 6:
        After a leg stretch, we set off again at 11:30 hours in charge of U.S.A. No. 1736 (Miss Ohio had been chalked on her), a 2-8-0 utility engine.
    2. To record something, as on a blackboard, using chalk.
    3. To use powdered chalk to mark the lines on a playing field.
    4. (figurative) To record a score or event, as if on a chalkboard.
    5. To manure (land) with chalk.
      • 1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], →OCLC:
        Land that is chalked
    6. To make white, as if with chalk; to make pale; to bleach.

    Derived terms

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    Further reading

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    Middle English

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    Alternative forms

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    Etymology

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      Inherited from Old English ċealc, from Proto-West Germanic *kalk.[1]

      For the variation between /t͡ʃ/ and /k/ (originating from Old English dialectal variation), compare chaf, calf, cold; in the latter two cases, the forms with /k/ are more widely distributed.[2]

      Pronunciation

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      Noun

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      chalk (uncountable)

      1. chalk

      Descendants

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      References

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      1. ^ “chalk, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 14 September 2018.
      2. ^ Kristensson, Gillis (1967), A survey of Middle English dialects, 1290-1350: the six northern counties and Lincolnshire (Lund Studies in English; 35)‎[1], Lund: C. W. K. Gleerup, →OCLC, page 141.
      Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=chalk&oldid=91547257"