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jetsam

 - 5 dictionary results

jet⋅sam

  [jet-suhm]
Use jetsam in a Sentence
–noun
goods cast overboard deliberately, as to lighten a vessel or improve its stability in an emergency, which sink where jettisoned or are washed ashore.
Also, jetsom.
Compare flotsam, lagan.

Origin:
1560–70; alter. of jetson, syncopated var. of jettison
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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jet·sam   (jět'səm)   
n.  

  1. Cargo or equipment thrown overboard to lighten a ship in distress.

  2. Discarded cargo or equipment found washed ashore. See Usage Note at flotsam.

  3. Discarded odds and ends.


[From earlier jetson, alteration of Middle English jetteson, a throwing overboard; see jettison.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

jetsam 
1570, alteration of M.E. jetteson "act of throwing goods overboard to lighten a ship," from Anglo-Fr. getteson (see jettison). Form perhaps influenced by flotsam. For distinction of meaning, see flotsam.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: jet·sam
Pronunciation: 'jet-s&m
Function: noun
: the part of a ship, its equipment, or its cargo that is cast overboard to lighten the load in time of distress and that sinks or is washed ashore —compare FLOTSAM
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

jetsam

see flotsam and jetsam.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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