Definitions

1. noun

a block or piece of wood, metal, or other material used to protect or support a ship’s hull or a similar surface

“The sailor used a calk to seal the gap between the boat’s hull and the dock.”

2. verb

to apply a layer of tar or oakum to the edge of a ship’s plank or the like in order to make it watertight

“The shipwright calked the hull to make it ready for launch.”

3. verb

to fill with a substance such as oakum or tar in order to make something watertight

“The sailors calked the boat’s hull to prepare it for a storm.”