An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Kalk
Kalk, masculine, ‘lime,’ from the equivalent Middle High German kalc, kalkes, Old High German chalch, masculine. The Modern High German variant Kalch (occurring in Upper German and Middle German) is based upon Old High German chalh for chalah (hh). Allied to Anglo-Saxon čealc; but English chalk has assumed a divergent sense, just as Middle High German kalc means both ‘lime’ and ‘white-wash.’ The cognates are derived from the Latin accusative calcem (nominative calx), and were borrowed at a very early period, as is indicated by the initial k, or rather c of the High German and English words, for somewhat later loan-words such as Kreuz (from crucem) have z for Latin c; c remains as k in old loanwords such as Kaiser, Gothic lukarna, from Latin lucerna, Keller, from cellarium. The Teutons became acquainted through the Italians both with the name and thing about the same period as with Mauer and Ziegel (Tünche).