Etymologically
Log in

kayak

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 14 October 2026 at 19:59. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkaɪˌæk/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from an Inuit word qayaq,[2][3][4][5] probably through Danish kajak,[6][3] as spoken in Greenland,[2][6][3] literally “small boat of skins”.[6][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Inuit canoe, made of a light wooden frame covered with sealskins (1662 in the OED, but 1757, as kajak, in Barnhart, Etymonline and Merriam-Webster).[7][6][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The word was later applied to any canoe developed from the Inuit kayak and used for touring or sport (1936).[7][2][5] The noun kayaker is from 1856[3][7] and the verb from 1875.[6][3]

Timeline

  • 1662 – the Inuit canoe (OED).[7]
  • 1757 – kajak (Barnhart, Etymonline, Merriam-Webster).[6][3][4]
  • 1856 – kayaker.[3][7]
  • 1875 – verb.[6][3]
  • 1936 – a sports canoe of this type.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An Inuit canoe made of a light frame covered with skins, with an opening for the paddler, propelled by a double-bladed paddle.
  2. A light boat of similar design, used for sport.

Verb

  1. To travel or race in a kayak.
  2. To travel on a body of water by kayak.

Word family

  • kayaker
  • kayaking

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press