kayak

kayak
kayaker, n.
/kuy"ak/, n.
1. an Eskimo canoe with a skin cover on a light framework, made watertight by flexible closure around the waist of the occupant and propelled with a double-bladed paddle.
2. a small boat resembling this, made commercially of a variety of materials and used in sports.
v.i.
3. to go or travel by kayak.
v.t.
4. to travel on by kayak: to kayak the Colorado River.
Also, kaiak, kyak, kyack.
[1750-60; < Inuit qayaq]

* * *

Type of canoe covered by a deck except for a cockpit in which the paddler sits.

It has a pointed bow and stern and no keel; the paddler faces forward, grasping a double-bladed paddle and dipping the blades alternately on either side. Usually built for one occupant, it can be designed for two or three. Kayaks were traditionally used for fishing and hunting by Eskimos, who stretched seal or other animal skins over a driftwood or whalebone frame and rubbed the skins with animal fat for waterproofing. The paddler wore an overlapping shield to allow the kayak to be righted without taking on water if it rolled over. Now often made of molded plastic or fiberglass, kayaks are widely used for recreation.

* * *

boat
 one of the two common types of canoe used for recreation and sport. It originated with the Eskimos of Greenland and was later also used by Alaskan Eskimos. It has a pointed bow and stern and no keel and is covered except for a cockpit in which the paddler or paddlers sit, facing forward and using a double-bladed paddle. The kayak was commonly built for one occupant but could be designed for two or three. The Eskimos built kayaks by stretching seal or other animal skins over a driftwood or whalebone frame and rubbing them with animal fat to waterproof the covering. The paddler wore an overlapping shield to permit the kayak to be righted without shipping (i.e., taking on) water after rolling over. The kayak was used by Eskimo men for fishing and hunting. The kayak's shallow draft, narrow width, and quiet operation allowed Eskimo hunters to explore tightly constricted waterways with great stealth, which helped them harvest more game. In the 20th century the Eskimos gradually abandoned the kayak in favour of motorboats. For the use and construction of the kayak in modern recreation and sport, see canoeing. See also umiak.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • kayak — kayak …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • Kayak — …   Wikipedia Español

  • kayak — [ kajak ] n. m. • kaiak 1837; cayac 1829; mot esquimau 1 ♦ Canot de pêche groenlandais, étroit et long, fabriqué en peau de phoque. 2 ♦ Par anal. Petite embarcation de sport en toile, à une ou deux places, qui se manœuvre à la pagaie. ⇒ canoë.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Kayak — Жанр прогрессивный рок арт рок Годы 1972 1982 1999 настоящее время …   Википедия

  • Kayak — Kayak, 1974 (v.l.n.r.: Max Werner …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • kayak — sustantivo masculino 1. Embarcación de remo individual cubierta de pieles, propia de los esquimales: Los esquimales utilizan el kayak para pescar. 2. Área: deporte Embarcación deportiva de remo, para uno o varios tripulantes que reman… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • kayak — (Del ingl. kayak, y este del esquimal qayaq). 1. m. Canoa de pesca usada por los esquimales, tradicionalmente fabricada con piel de foca, cuya cubierta solo tiene una abertura, cerrada con un material impermeable que se ajusta al tronco del… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • kayak — ► NOUN ▪ a canoe of a type used originally by the Inuit, made of a light frame with a watertight covering. ► VERB (kayaked, kayaking) ▪ travel in a kayak. ORIGIN Inuit …   English terms dictionary

  • kayak — [kī′ak΄] n. [Esk] 1. an Eskimo canoe made of skins completely covering a wooden frame except for an opening in the middle for the paddler 2. any similarly designed canoe for one or two paddlers, made of canvas, plastic, fiberglass, etc. vi. to… …   English World dictionary

  • Kayak — Kay ak, n. (Naut.) A light canoe, made of skins stretched over a frame, and usually capable of carrying but one person, who sits amidships and uses a double bladed paddle. It is peculiar to the Eskimos and other Arctic tribes. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • kayak — ‘Canoa de pesca usada por los esquimales’ y ‘embarcación deportiva usada en la prueba de velocidad del mismo nombre’. Es voz de origen esquimal, introducida en español a través del inglés. Su plural es kayaks (→ plural, 1h): «Solo los kayaks no… …   Diccionario panhispánico de dudas

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”