oakum

American  

[oh-kuhm] / ˈoʊ kəm /

noun

1. loose fiber obtained by untwisting and picking apart old ropes, used for caulking the seams of ships.

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oakum British  

/ ˈəʊkəm /

noun

1. loose fibre obtained by unravelling old rope, used esp for caulking seams in wooden ships

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Etymology

Origin of oakum

before 1000; Middle English okome, Old English ācuma, variant of ācumba, literally, offcombings, equivalent to ā- separative prefix ( a- ³ ) + -cumba ( comb )

Example Sentences

You often could still smell the oakum oil-soaked hemp used to pack the joints before they poured the molten lead to make the joints watertight.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 22, 2021

Some days before my release Martin was going the rounds at half-past seven with one of the senior warders for the purpose of collecting the oakum and tools of the prisoners.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2018

The poop deck is being repaired traditionally, using wooden planks caulked with cotton and oakum then sealed with pitch.

From New York Times • May 29, 2016

His crew appeared busy swabbing decks and picking oakum, but their gazes kept drifting toward the quarterdeck.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

He even smelled right—like oakum and wood shavings.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee