Caicco
/ˈkaɪkoʊ/noun
A small sailing boat, especially one used in the eastern Mediterranean and formerly associated with Turkey.
Did you know?Caicco belongs to a family of nautical loanwords spread through Mediterranean trade, where Turkish, Greek, Italian, and English repeatedly exchanged names for vessels.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Period
Greek
καΐκι (kaïki)
“A small boat or light sailing vessel.”
Ottoman Turkish
Turkish
kayık
“A small boat, skiff, or rowing vessel.”
17th–18th Century
Italian
caicco
“A small Turkish or Levantine boat.”
18th Century
English
caicco
“A small sailing boat, especially one used in the eastern Mediterranean.”
Modern English
English
caicco
“A rare nautical term for a small Mediterranean sailing vessel.”