oakum Hear it!

oakum definition

oakum (ō′kəm)

noun

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

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

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.