Oakum
['əʊkəm] or ['okəm]
Definition
(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.
Typed by Carolyn--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) The material obtained by untwisting and picking into loose fiber old hemp ropes; -- used for calking the seams of ships, stopping leaks, etc.
(n.) The coarse portion separated from flax or hemp in nackling.
Editor: Stephen
Definition
n. old ropes untwisted and teased into loose hemp for caulking the seams of ships.
Checked by Evita
Examples
- They say he will eat any thing he can get between meals, but he prefers oakum. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- So you'll begin to pick oakum to-morrow morning at six o'clock,' added the surly one in the white waistcoat. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- He does not like oakum for dinner, but he likes it for a lunch, at odd hours, or any thing that way. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- And they say he eats oakum. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
Checker: Zelig