Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

chalk up

 - 6 dictionary results

chalk

  [chawk]
Use chalk up in a Sentence
–noun
1. a soft, white, powdery limestone consisting chiefly of fossil shells of foraminifers.
2. a prepared piece of chalk or chalklike substance for marking, as a blackboard crayon.
3. a mark made with chalk.
4. a score or tally.
–verb (used with object)
5. to mark or write with chalk.
6. to rub over or whiten with chalk.
7. to treat or mix with chalk: to chalk a billiard cue.
8. to make pale; blanch: Terror chalked her face.
–verb (used without object)
9. (of paint) to powder from weathering.
–adjective
10. of, made of, or drawn with chalk.
—Verb phrase
11. chalk up,
a. to score or earn: They chalked up two runs in the first inning.
b. to charge or ascribe to: It was a poor performance, but may be chalked up to lack of practice.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME chalke, OE cealc < L calc- (s. of calx) lime

Related forms:
chalklike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To chalk up
chalk   (chôk)   
n.  

  1. A soft compact calcite, CaCO3, with varying amounts of silica, quartz, feldspar, or other mineral impurities, generally gray-white or yellow-white and derived chiefly from fossil seashells.

    1. A piece of chalk or chalklike substance in crayon form, used for marking on a blackboard or other surface.

    2. Games A small cube of chalk used in rubbing the tip of a billiard or pool cue to increase its friction with the cue ball.

  3. A mark made with chalk.

  4. Chiefly British A score or tally.

tr.v.   chalked, chalk·ing, chalks

  1. To mark, draw, or write with chalk: chalked my name on the blackboard.

  2. To rub or cover with chalk, as the tip of a billiard cue.

  3. To make pale; whiten.

  4. To treat (soil, for example) with chalk.

Phrasal Verb(s):
chalk up

  1. To earn or score: chalk up points.

  2. To credit or ascribe: Chalk that up to experience.


[Middle English, from Old English cealk, from Latin calx, calc-, lime; see calx.]
chalk'i·ness n., chalk'y adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

chalk 
O.E. cealc, W.Gmc. borrowing from L. calx "limestone, lime," from Gk. khalix "small pebble." In most Gmc. languages still with the "limestone" sense, but in Eng. transferred to the opaque, white, soft limestone found abundantly in the south of the island.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: chalk
Pronunciation: 'chok
Function: noun
: a soft white, gray, or buff limestone composed chiefly of the shells of foraminifers and sometimesused medicinally as a source of calcium carbonate called also creta; —see PRECIPITATED CHALK, PREPARED CHALK —chalky /'cho-kE/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Science Dictionary
chalk   (chôk)  Pronunciation Key 
A soft, white, gray, or yellow limestone consisting mainly of calcium carbonate and formed primarily from the accumulation of fossil microorganisms such as foraminifera and calcareous algae. Chalk is used in making lime, cement, and fertilizers, and as a whitening pigment in ceramics, paints, and cosmetics. The chalk used in classrooms is usually artificial.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

chalk up

  1. Score or earn, as in She chalked up enough points to be seeded first in the tournament. This term alludes to recording accounts (and later, scores) in chalk on a slate. [c. 1700]

  2. Credit or ascribe, as They chalked their success up to experience. [First half of 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see chalk up on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way