Also 6 calke, cauke, 9 caulk. [app. ultimately f. L. calc-em (calx) heel, calcāneum heel, or calcar spur: but the history is wanting.]
1. A pointed piece of iron on piece of iron on a horse-shoe to prevent slipping; = CALKIN.
1587. Turberv., Epitaphs & Sonn. (1837), 387. He sets a slender calke, And so he rides his way.
1591. Percivall, Sp. Dict., Rampones, caukes in a horse shooe.
1881. Daily Tel., 13 Jan., 2/3. Where would the poor horse be without the ‘calks’ on the hind feet?
2. A piece of iron projecting from the heel of a boot, shoe, or clog, which digs into the ice or frozen ground, and prevents slipping. U.S.
1805. Naval Chron., XIII. 113. In Canada it is customary, during the winter season … to wear on the feet a sort of patten, called caulks.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., s.v., The calk … attached to a boot consists of a plate with spurs, which project a little below the heel.
