oakum

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

oakum Usage Examples

Converse of object

pick: Ernest Jones, " master of his own time, " had to pick oakum, or spend his days in a dark cell.

Modifies a noun

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