English word origin

Etymology of cauk

British dialect cauk (“limestone”), from Northern Middle English calke, from Anglian Old English calc; doublet of calx and chalk.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

An opaque, earthy variety of barite, or heavy spar.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

British dialect cauk (“limestone”), from Northern Middle English calke, from Anglian Old English calc; doublet of calx and chalk.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Doublet mentioncalxen
Doublet mentionchalken

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "la",
        "4": "grc",
        "inh": "1"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm-nor",
        "3": "calke"
      },
      "expansion": "Northern Middle English calke"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang-ang",
        "3": "calc"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglian Old English calc"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "calx",
        "3": "chalk",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "doublet of calx and chalk"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "cauk",
      "cauk#English"
    ],
    [
      "calke",
      "calke#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "calc",
      "calc#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "calx",
      "calx#English"
    ],
    [
      "chalk",
      "chalk#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An opaque, earthy variety of barite, or heavy spar."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "9bbeb3bd53ba3db3dc7bdea3c06d81014ed6eb0cc9b9fcbff60866feb32c8942",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2413782dd32fe5bd3426198278c5d9414a6301fc633353577198ed75ec3c6916",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for cauk →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Y2F1aw