oakum

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈəʊkəm/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(ō′kəm)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
oa•kum  (ō′kəm),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Nautical, Naval Termsloose fiber obtained by untwisting and picking apart old ropes, used for caulking the seams of ships.
  • Middle English okome, Old English ācuma, variant of ācumba, literally, offcombings, equivalent. to ā- separative prefix (see a-3) + -cumba (see comb1) bef. 1000

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
oakum /ˈəʊkəm/ n
  1. loose fibre obtained by unravelling old rope, used esp for caulking seams in wooden ships
Etymology: Old English ācuma, variant of ācumba, literally: off-combings, from ā- off + -cumba, from cemban to comb
'oakum' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
A, a - caulk - junk - rave hook - reef - stop

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