An obsolete or dialectal term for chalk, particularly in British English, or a substance used in caulking.
From Old English 'cealc' or related to Dutch 'kalk' (chalk/lime), with the 'w' being dialectal. Related to modern 'caulk' through the same root word families.
The word 'cawk' is nearly extinct, but it survived in British dialects referring to chalk deposits—it's fascinating how 'cawk' and 'caulk' shared a root but evolved into completely different meanings!
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