What does oakum mean?

Definitions for oakum
ˈoʊ kəmoakum

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word oakum.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. oakumnoun

    loose hemp or jute fiber obtained by unravelling old ropes; when impregnated with tar it was used to caulk seams and pack joints in wooden ships

Wiktionary

  1. oakumnoun

    A material, consisting of tarred fibres, used to caulk or pack joints in plumbing, masonry, and wooden shipbuilding.

  2. Etymology: From okome, from acumba, a derivative of acemban, from uz- + kambijanan, from uds- + ǵombʰ-. More at out, comb.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Oakumnoun

    Cords untwisted and reduced to hemp, with which, mingled with pitch, leaks are stopped.

    Etymology: A word probably formed by some corruption.

    They make their oakum, wherewith they chalk the seams of the ships, of old seer and weather beaten ropes, when they are over spent and grown so rotten as they serve for no other use but to make rotten oakum, which moulders and washes away with every sea as the ships labour and are tossed. Ral.

    Some drive old oakum thro’ each seam and rift;
    Their left hand does the calking-iron guide;
    The rattling mallet with the right they lift. Dryden.

Wikipedia

  1. Oakum

    Oakum is a preparation of tarred fibre used to seal gaps. Its main traditional applications were in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships; in plumbing, for sealing joints in cast iron pipe; and in log cabins for chinking. In ship caulking, it was forced into the seams using a hammer and a caulking iron, then sealed into place with hot pitch.It is also referenced frequently as a medical supply for medieval surgeons, often used along with bandages for sealing wounds.

ChatGPT

  1. oakum

    Oakum is a preparation of tarred fiber used in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships. It is made by unraveling old hemp or jute ropes, which are then soaked in tar to make them waterproof.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Oakumnoun

    the material obtained by untwisting and picking into loose fiber old hemp ropes; -- used for calking the seams of ships, stopping leaks, etc

  2. Oakumnoun

    the coarse portion separated from flax or hemp in nackling

  3. Etymology: [AS. cumba; pref. - (cf. G. er-, Goth. us-, orig. meaning, out) + cemban to comb, camb comb. See Comb.]

Wikidata

  1. Oakum

    Oakum is a preparation of tarred fiber used in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships, as well as cast iron pipe plumbing applications. Oakum was at one time recycled from old tarry ropes and cordage, which were painstakingly unraveled and taken apart into fiber; this task of picking and preparation was a common penal occupation in prisons and workhouses. In modern times, the fibrous material used in oakum is derived from virgin hemp or jute. The fibers are impregnated with tar or a tar-like substance, traditionally pine tar, an amber-colored pitch made from pine sap. Petroleum byproducts can be utilized for a tar-like substance that can also be used for modern oakum. White oakum is made from untarred material.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Oakum

    ōk′um, n. old ropes untwisted and teased into loose hemp for caulking the seams of ships. [A.S. ácumba, ǽcembacemban, to comb.]

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

  1. Oakum

    name given to fibres of old tarry ropes sundered by teasing, and employed in caulking the seams between planks in ships; the teasing of oakum is an occupation for prisoners in jails.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. oakum

    [from the Anglo-Saxon æcumbe]. The state into which old ropes are reduced when they are untwisted and picked to pieces. It is principally used in caulking the seams, for stopping leaks, and for making into twice-laid ropes. Very well known in workhouses.--White Oakum. That which is formed from untarred ropes.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. oakum

    A tangled mass of tarred hempen fibres, is made from old rope by untwisting the strands and rubbing the fibres free from each other. Its principal use is in calking the seams between planks, the space round rivets, bolts, etc., for the purpose of preventing water from penetrating.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of oakum in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of oakum in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7


Translations for oakum

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"oakum." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/oakum>.

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