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Webster 1913 Edition

Chalk

Chalk

(cha̤k)
,
Noun.
[AS.
cealc
lime, from L.
calx
limestone. See
Calz
, and
Cawk
.]
1.
(Min.)
A soft, earthy substance, of a white, grayish, or yellowish white color, consisting of calcium carbonate, and having the same composition as common limestone.
2.
(Fine Arts)
Finely prepared chalk, used as a drawing implement; also, by extension, a compound, as of clay and black lead, or the like, used in the same manner. See
Crayon
.
Black chalk
,
a mineral of a bluish color, of a slaty texture, and soiling the fingers when handled; a variety of argillaceous slate.
–
By a long chalk
,
by a long way; by many degrees.
[Slang]
Lowell.
–
Chalk drawing
(Fine Arts)
,
a drawing made with crayons. See
Crayon
.
–
Chalk formation
.
See
Cretaceous formation
, under
Cretaceous
.
–
Chalk line
,
a cord rubbed with chalk, used for making straight lines on boards or other material, as a guide in cutting or in arranging work.
–
Chalk mixture
,
a preparation of chalk, cinnamon, and sugar in gum water, much used in diarrheal affection, esp. of infants.
–
Chalk period
.
(Geol.)
See
Cretaceous period
, under
Cretaceous
.
–
Chalk pit
,
a pit in which chalk is dug.
–
Drawing chalk
.
See
Crayon
,
Noun.
, 1.
–
French chalk
,
steatite or soapstone, a soft magnesian mineral.
–
Red chalk
,
an indurated clayey ocher containing iron, and used by painters and artificers; reddle.

Chalk

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Chalked
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Chalking
.]
1.
To rub or mark with chalk.
2.
To manure with chalk, as land.
Morimer.
3.
To make white, as with chalk; to make pale; to bleach.
Tennyson.
Let a bleak paleness
chalk
the door.
Herbert.
To chalk out
,
to sketch with, or as with, chalk; to outline; to indicate; to plan.
[Colloq.]
“I shall pursue the plan I have chalked out.”
Burke.

Webster 1828 Edition

Chalk

CHALK

,
Noun.
A well known calcarious earth, of an opake white color, soft and admitting no polish. It contains a large portion of carbonic acid, and is a subspecies of carbonate of lime. It is used as an absorbent and anti-acid.
Cleaveland. Nicholson. Kirwan. Aikin.
Black-chalk is a species of earth used by painters for drawing on blue paper.
Red-chalk is an indurated clayey ocher used by painters and artificers.

CHALK

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To rub with chalk; to mark with chalk.
2.
To manure with chalk, as land.
3.
From the use of chalk in marking lines, the phrase to chalk out is used to signify, to lay out, draw out or describe; as, to chalk out a plan of proceeding.

Definition 2024

chalk

chalk

English

Colorful chalk used for writing or drawing

Alternative forms

Noun

chalk ‎(countable and uncountable, plural chalks)

  1. (uncountable) A soft, white, powdery limestone.
  2. (countable) A piece of chalk, or, more often, processed compressed chalk, that is used for drawing and for writing on a blackboard.
  3. Tailor's chalk.
  4. (uncountable, climbing) A white powdery substance used to prevent hands slipping from holds when climbing, sometimes but not always limestone-chalk.
  5. (US, military, countable) A platoon-sized group of airborne soldiers.
  6. (US, sports, chiefly basketball) The prediction that there will be no upsets, and the favored competitor will win.
    • 1982, March 22, “Phil Musick”, in And the pick here is - Georgetown over Houston, 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, 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”, in Non-news of the week: Obama picks North Carolina, Aurora, Illinois:
      Instead, he played the chalk and selected the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.

Translations

Verb

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.
  2. To record something, as on a blackboard, using chalk.
  3. To use powdered chalk to mark the lines on a playing field.
  4. (figuratively) To record a score or event, as if on a chalkboard.
  5. To manure (land) with chalk.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Mortimer to this entry?)
  6. To make white, as if with chalk; to make pale; to bleach.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Tennyson to this entry?)
    • Herbert
      Let a bleak paleness chalk the door.

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

Etymology

From Old English cealc, borrowed from Latin calx ‎(“limestone”), borrowed from Ancient Greek χάλιξ ‎(khálix, “pebble”)

Pronunciation

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