noun
flotsam
FLOT-suhm
noun
1
Wreckage or debris found floating on water, especially from a shipwreck.
"Pieces of flotsam washed up on the beach after the storm."
How to Use Flotsam
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFloating wreckage or debris.
Easily confused with
jetsam
Common pairings
flotsam and jetsam
flotsam washed ashore
Word Forms
flotsams plural
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Pieces of _____ washed up on the beach after the storm.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman floteson, ultimately related to float, with a Latin-derived ending.