oakum

(ō′kəm)

noun

loose, stringy hemp fiber gotten by taking apart old ropes and treated as with tar, used as a caulking material

Origin: ME okom < OE acumba, tow, oakum < a-, away, out + camb, comb: lit., what is combed out

See oakum in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Loose hemp or jute fiber, sometimes treated with tar, creosote, or asphalt, used chiefly for caulking seams in wooden ships and packing pipe joints.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English okom

Origin: , from Old English ācumba; see gembh- in Indo-European roots

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