Definition of oakum Oakum

oa•kum

We found 8 definitions of oakum from 7 different sources.

What does oakum mean?

WordNet

Noun

Plural: oakums

oakum - 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

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Wiktionary

oakum (Noun)
A material, consisting of tarred fibres, used to caulk or pack joints in plumbing, masonry, and wooden shipbuilding.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

oakum (n.)
The material obtained by untwisting and picking into loose fiber old hemp ropes; -- used for calking the seams of ships, stopping leaks, etc.
oakum (n.)
The coarse portion separated from flax or hemp in nackling.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

oakum
ōk′um, n. old ropes untwisted and teased into loose hemp for caulking the seams of ships. [A.S. ácumba, ǽcemba—cemban, to comb.]

Sailor's Word-BookThe Sailor's Word-Book ⛵

oakum
[from the Anglo-Saxon æcumbe]. The state into which old ropes are reduced when they are untwisted and picked to pieces. It is principally used in caulking the seams, for stopping leaks, and for making into twice-laid ropes. Very well known in workhouses.--White Oakum. That which is formed from untarred ropes.

Military DictionaryMilitary Dictionary and Gazetteer 💥

oakum
A tangled mass of tarred hempen fibres, is made from old rope by untwisting the strands and rubbing the fibres free from each other. Its principal use is in calking the seams between planks, the space round rivets, bolts, etc., for the purpose of preventing water from penetrating.

Part of speech

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oakum, noun, singular of oakums.

Pronunciation

Word frequency

Oakum is...

Very rare

Rare

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Common

Very Common