chalk
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chalk¹
- /t͡ʃɔːk/ UK
- /t͡ʃoːk/ Australia, British, New Zealand
- /t͡ʃɔk/ US, Scotland
- /t͡ʃɑk/
- /t͡ʃɒk/
- /t͡ʃolk/
- /t͡ʃalk/
Sounds like chock (cot–caught merger) · Rhymes with -ɔːk
Where it comes from
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.
noun chalks · chaulk
- A soft, white, powdery limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO₃). chalk cliffs are not recommended for climbing
- A piece of chalk, or nowadays processed compressed gypsum (calcium sulfate, CaSO₄), that is used for drawing and for writing on a blackboard (chalkboard).
- Tailor's chalk.
- 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
- A platoon-sized group of airborne soldiers.
- The favorite in a sporting event.
- The prediction that there will be no upsets, and the favored competitor will win. 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.
verb chalks · chalking · chalked · chaulk
- To apply chalk to anything, such as the tip of a billiard cue. chalk your hands before climbing
- To record something, as on a blackboard, using chalk.
- To use powdered chalk to mark the lines on a playing field.
- To record a score or event, as if on a chalkboard. This Book it chaulketh out before thine eyes / The man that ſeeks the everlaſting Prize: / It ſhevvs you vvhence he comes, vvhither he goes, / VVhat he leaves undone; alſo vvhat he does: / It alſo ſhovvs you hovv he runs, and runs, / Till he unto the Gate of Glory comes.
- To manure (land) with chalk. Land that is chalked
- To make white, as if with chalk; to make pale; to bleach. Fear Stared in her eyes, and chalked her face
Chalk²
Where it comes from
From early Middle English Celc, from Old English ċealc (“chalk”)
proper noun Chalks
- A surname.
- A suburban village attached to the east side of Gravesend, Gravesham borough, Kent, England (OS grid ref TQ6773).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: limestone, calcium, cal, unit, unity, least, isu, calcite, calcium carbonate, whiting, pipeclay, marl, creta, chalkstone, plaster, gypsum
Translations
Every language
noun soft, white, powdery limestone
| Español | tiza, creta |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 백악 baegak |
| 日本語 | 白亜 hakua |
| 中文 | 白堊 /白垩 bái'è |
| हिन्दी | चूना cūnā, खड़िया khaṛiyā, चाक cāk |
| Kiswahili | chaki |
| Português | gesso |
| Français | craie |
| Deutsch | Kreide |
| Italiano | gesso, creta |
| Ελληνικά | κιμωλία kimolía |
| Română | cretă |
| Русский | мел mel |
| Tiếng Việt | phấn, đá phấn |
| العربية | طَبْشُورَة ṭabšūra |
noun a piece of chalk used for drawing and on a blackboard
| Español | tiza, gis, clarión, pizarrín, tizate, yaramme |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 분필 bunpil |
| 日本語 | チョーク chōku, 白墨 hakuboku |
| 中文 | 粉筆 /粉笔 fěnbǐ |
| हिन्दी | चाक cāk, खड़िया khaṛiyā |
| Kiswahili | chaki |
| Português | giz |
| Français | craie |
| Deutsch | Kreide |
| Italiano | gessetto |
| Ελληνικά | κιμωλία kimolía, τεμπεσίρι tempesíri |
| Română | cretă |
| Русский | мел mel, мело́к melók |
| Tiếng Việt | phấn, phấn viết, phấn viết bảng |
| العربية | طَبْشُورَة ṭabšūra |
| עברית | גִּיר gir |
noun white powdery substance used for grip in climbing, weight-lifting and gymnastics
| Español | magnesio |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | चूना cūnā |
| Français | magnésie |
| Deutsch | Magnesiapulver |
Talk about this word "chalk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/chalk. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. chalk. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/chalk "chalk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/chalk.Cite this
@misc{chalk_2026,
title = {chalk},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/chalk},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
