Nearby Words

oakum

[oh-kuhm] Origin

oa·kum

[oh-kuhm]
noun
loose fiber obtained by untwisting and picking apart old ropes, used for caulking the seams of ships.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English okome, Old English ācuma, variant of ācumba, literally, offcombings, equivalent to ā- separative prefix (see a-3) + -cumba (see comb1)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To oakum

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Oakum is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
oakum (ˈəʊkəm)
 
n
loose fibre obtained by unravelling old rope, used esp for caulking seams in wooden ships
 
[Old English ācuma, variant of ācumba, literally: off-combings, from ā- off + -cumba, from cemban to comb]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

oakum
"loose fiber obtained from taking apart old hemp ropes," 1420s, from O.E. acumba "tow, oakum, flax fibers separated by combing," lit. "what is combed out," from a- "away, out, off" + stem of cemban "to comb," from camb "a comb;" from P.Gmc. *us-kambon, second element from PIE *gembh- "tooth, nail" (see
EXPANDCOLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature