French word

calfater

Pronunciation

IPA/kalfate/

Meaning

  • verbcaulk

Example

Le marin va calfater la coque.

The sailor is going to caulk the hull.

Illustration for calfater (caulk)

More examples

Il faut calfater la fenêtre pour éviter les courants d'air.

You need to caulk the window to prevent drafts.

Core concept

Packing a gap or seam with caulking material until it is watertight.

Similar words

boucher: To close a hole, pipe, or gap with material so the passage is blocked.
calfeutrer: To fill gaps with cloth or putty to stop drafts and water.

Definition in French

Signifie fermer ou boucher une ouverture ou un joint en y mettant de l'étoupe ou du mastic pour empêcher les infiltrations.

Word origin

French calfater comes from Italian calafatare, a Mediterranean nautical term for sealing a vessel's seams with caulking material.

Usage tips

  • Calfater is transitive, so it takes the sealed object directly, as in calfater la coque or calfater un joint.

Opposites

Word lists with this word