CHALK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does chalk mean? 

• CHALK (noun)
  The noun CHALK has 4 senses:

1. a soft whitish calcite

2. a pure flat white with little reflectance

3. an amphetamine derivative (trade name Methedrine) used in the form of a crystalline hydrochloride; used as a stimulant to the nervous system and as an appetite suppressant

4. a piece of calcite or a similar substance, usually in the shape of a crayon, that is used to write or draw on blackboards or other flat surfaces

  Familiarity information: CHALK used as a noun is uncommon.

• CHALK (verb)
  The verb CHALK has 1 sense:

1. write, draw, or trace with chalk

  Familiarity information: CHALK used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHALK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A soft whitish calcite

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("chalk" is a kind of...):

calcite (a common mineral consisting of crystallized calcium carbonate; a major constituent of limestone)

Meronyms (substance of "chalk"):

calcium carbonate (a salt found in nature as chalk or calcite or aragonite or limestone)

Holonyms ("chalk" is a substance of...):

chalk (a piece of calcite or a similar substance, usually in the shape of a crayon, that is used to write or draw on blackboards or other flat surfaces)

Derivation:

chalky (of something having the color of chalk)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A pure flat white with little reflectance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("chalk" is a kind of...):

white; whiteness (the quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least resemblance to black))

Derivation:

chalky (of something having the color of chalk)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An amphetamine derivative (trade name Methedrine) used in the form of a crystalline hydrochloride; used as a stimulant to the nervous system and as an appetite suppressant

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

chalk; chicken feed; crank; deoxyephedrine; glass; ice; meth; methamphetamine; methamphetamine hydrochloride; Methedrine; shabu; trash

Hypernyms ("chalk" is a kind of...):

amphetamine; pep pill; speed; upper (a central nervous system stimulant that increases energy and decreases appetite; used to treat narcolepsy and some forms of depression)

controlled substance (a drug or chemical substance whose possession and use are controlled by law)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A piece of calcite or a similar substance, usually in the shape of a crayon, that is used to write or draw on blackboards or other flat surfaces

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("chalk" is a kind of...):

writing implement (an implement that is used to write)

Meronyms (substance of "chalk"):

chalk (a soft whitish calcite)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chalk"):

drawing chalk (colored chalks used by artists)

tailor's chalk (chalk used by tailors to make temporary marks on cloth)

Derivation:

chalk (write, draw, or trace with chalk)

chalky (composed of or containing or resembling calcium carbonate or calcite or chalk)

• CHALK (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they chalk    ... he / she / it chalks   
Past simple: chalked   
Past participle: chalked   
-ing form: chalking   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Write, draw, or trace with chalk

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "chalk" is one way to...):

draw (represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface)

"Chalk" entails doing...:

delineate; describe; draw; line; trace (make a mark or lines on a surface)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

chalk (a piece of calcite or a similar substance, usually in the shape of a crayon, that is used to write or draw on blackboards or other flat surfaces)

 Context examples 

The microscope analysis of the plant material came up with the exciting discovery that some plants were exuding vaterite from “chalk glands” (hydathodes) on the margins of their leaves.

(Rare mineral discovered in plants for first time, University of Cambridge)

Here are the missing links of the very simple chain: You had chalk between your left finger and thumb when you returned from the club last night.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

That clay and chalk mixture which I see upon your toe caps is quite distinctive.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

At once the cap changed to a slate, on which was written in big, white chalk marks: LET DOROTHY GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

But conservation programs limiting timber harvesting have chalked up wins in preserving panda habitat.

(Belly up to the bamboo buffet: Pandas vs. horses, NSF)

From head to foot I was powdered almost as white with chalk and dust, as if I had come out of a lime-kiln.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

In a hollow of the rock, protected from rain, there was drawn a rough arrow in chalk, pointing still to the westwards.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It looked a lovely face enough, and when compared with the real head in chalk, the contrast was as great as self- control could desire.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Represent by making a drawing of, as with pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface; make a mark or lines on a surface.

(Draw, NCI Thesaurus)

A small, commonly white-colored breed of poultry that is renowned for its ability to produce up to 300 chalk white eggs per year.

(Leghorn Chicken, NCI Thesaurus)