oakum

== English == === Etymology === From Late Middle English okom, okome (“oakum”) [and other forms], from Old English ācumba (“oakum”, literally “that which has been combed out, off-combings”) [and other forms], from ācemban (“to comb out”), from Proto-Germanic *uz- (from Proto-Indo-European *ud-s-, *ūd- (“out; up”), or *h₂ew- (“away from, off”)) + *kambijaną (“to comb”) (ultimately from *ǵómbʰos (“row of teeth; tooth; peg”), *ǵembʰ- (“nail; tooth; to gnaw through; to pierce”)). See also out and comb. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈəʊkəm/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈoʊk(ə)m/ Rhymes: -əʊkəm Hyphenation: oak‧um === Noun === oakum (countable and uncountable, plural oakums) (chiefly historical) Coarse fibres separated by hackling from flax or hemp when preparing the latter for spinning. Synonyms: hards, tow Fibres chiefly obtained by untwisting old rope, which are used to caulk or pack gaps between boards of wooden ships and joints in masonry and plumbing, and sometimes for dressing wounds. ==== Hyponyms ==== fid pledget ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== chinse fother making-iron, meaking iron ripping iron === References === === Further reading === oakum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Anagrams === Okuma