noun
oakum
Oakum (noun) means Rough fibres combed out of flax or hemp while preparing it for spinning.
noun
1
Rough fibres combed out of flax or hemp while preparing it for spinning.
2
Fibres pulled from old rope, used to fill gaps in wooden ships, walls and pipes, and sometimes to dress wounds.
"My eyesight began to fail, from the strain of picking oakum in my cell."
— Peter Ackroyd, 4 October 1900 (1983)
"Shingle Tiles make a Leak-Proof roof without the use of cements and spun oakums."
— “The Murray Roofing Tile Company”, The Murray Roofing Tile Company (1912)
"Earlier that morning he had gotten the oakum ready for the deck, soaking the hemp in pine tar."
— Yaa Gyasi, Kojo (2016)
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Etymology
Came into English from Late Middle English okom, okome (“oakum”), and other forms, which developed from Old English ācumba (“oakum”, literally “that which has been combed out, off-combings”), and other forms, from ācemban (“to comb out”). This in turn goes back to Proto-Germanic *uz- (from Proto-Indo-European *ud-s-, *ūd- (“out; up”), or *h₂ew- (“away from, off”)) plus *kambijaną (“to comb”), ultimately from *ǵómbʰos (“row of teeth; tooth; peg”), *ǵembʰ- (“nail; tooth; to gnaw through; to pierce”). See also out and comb.
Synonyms
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Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of oakum?
"oakum" (noun) means rough fibres combed out of flax or hemp while preparing it for spinning.
What is another word for oakum?
Other words for "oakum" include tow, hards.
What are the different meanings of oakum?
"oakum" has 2 main meanings: 1. Rough fibres combed out of flax or hemp while preparing it for spinning; 2. Fibres pulled from old rope, used to fill gaps in wooden ships, walls and pipes, and sometimes to dress wounds.
