flotsam

[ flot-suhm ]

noun

1. the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water. Compare jetsam, lagan.
2. material or refuse floating on water.
3. useless or unimportant items; odds and ends.
4. a vagrant, penniless population:

   the flotsam of the city slums in medieval Europe.

flotsam

/ ˈflɒtsəm /

noun

1. wreckage from a ship found floating Compare jetsam lagan
2. useless or discarded objects; odds and ends (esp in the phrase flotsam and jetsam )
3. vagrants

Word History and Origins

Origin of flotsam¹

1600–10; < Anglo-French floteson, derivative of floter to float < Old English flotian

Word History and Origins

Origin of flotsam¹

C16: from Anglo-French floteson , from floter to float

Example Sentences

"It was impossible not to conclude," he later wrote, that for Powell "the struggle was about achieving long-term objectives, not simply a mastery of the flotsam and jetsam of current events".

From BBC

Even though Polk was severely injured, Faulkingham said, he was safe and felt God was watching as flotsam and jetsam from his boat was pushed ashore.

From Seattle Times

Nearly a year and a half after the full-scale Russian invasion, the war remains a supply line of sorts for Reva, a never-ending tide tossing up new flotsam and jetsam.

From Los Angeles Times

Bent fences and waterlogged front lawns were the norm, with small bridges clogged with flotsam and closed because of the destabilizing impact of so much charging water.

From New York Times

The composition of the feed is another sore point, especially for Twitter users repelled by its algorithmic “For You” tab full of clickbait and other viral flotsam.

From Los Angeles Times