oakum

[ oh-kuhm ]

noun

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

oakum

/ ˈəʊkəm /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of oakum¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of oakum¹

Old English ācuma, variant of ācumba, literally: off-combings, from ā- off + -cumba, from cemban to comb

Example Sentences

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

From Literature

He smelled the tar and oakum of the deck as he slept and he smelled the smell of Africa that the land breeze brought at morning.

From Literature

Their masts were bound about with oakum, or pieces of fazeled ropes, and armed against all shot.

From Project Gutenberg

The convict prison, also on the top of the island, was virtually the barracks for 900 labourers, who were more profitably employed than in walking a treadmill or picking oakum.

From Project Gutenberg

Useful methods of applying these are by the medium of borated cotton, oakum, tow, or spongiopiline, covered with oiled silk or the Lister protective material.

From Project Gutenberg