OAKUM

oakum

(noun) loose hemp or jute fiber obtained by unravelling old ropes; when impregnated with tar it was used to caulk seams and pack joints in wooden ships

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

oakum (countable and uncountable, plural oakums)

A material, consisting of tarred fibres, used to caulk or pack joints in plumbing, masonry, and wooden shipbuilding.

The coarse portion separated from flax or hemp in hackling.

Synonyms

• (flax or hemp fibers separated in hackling): tow, hards

Anagrams

• Okuma

Source: Wiktionary


Oak"um, n. Etym: [AS. acumba; pref. er-, Goth. us-, orig. meaning, out) + cemban to comb, camb comb. See Comb.]

1. The material obtained by untwisting and picking into loose fiber old hemp ropes; -- used for calking the seams of ships, stopping leaks, etc.

2. The coarse portion separated from flax or hemp in nackling. Knight. White oakum, that made from untarred rope.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

24 April 2024

DECIDE

(verb) reach, make, or come to a decision about something; “We finally decided after lengthy deliberations”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.

coffee icon