Kaiki
/ˈkaɪ.ki/noun
A small traditional boat, especially one used in Greece, Turkey, or the eastern Mediterranean.
Did you know?Kaiki is an English variant of caique, a word adopted through Mediterranean contact and ultimately associated with the long, narrow boats used around the Aegean and Ottoman worlds.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
καΐκι (kaïki)
“A small boat or fishing vessel; the source of the later Mediterranean boat term.”
Ottoman Turkish
Turkish
kayık
“A small boat, commonly a light rowing or sailing vessel.”
17th–18th Century
Italian/French
caiacco / caïque
“Mediterranean forms referring to a small boat, especially one used in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.”
19th Century
English
caique / kaiki
“A small Mediterranean boat, particularly one associated with Greece or Turkey.”
Modern English
English
kaiki
“A variant spelling of caique for a traditional eastern Mediterranean boat.”