Naval and Nautical Affairs

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oakum

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea | 2006 | Copyright

oakum, tarred hemp or manila fibres made from old and condemned ropes which have been unpicked. It was used for caulking the seams of the decks and sides of a wooden ship in order to make them watertight. It was rammed down between the seams with a caulking iron and a heavy hammer, and then held in position with hot pitch poured along the seams.

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oakum

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

oakum †tow OE.; fibre obtained by picking old rope XV. OE. ācumbe, ācum(b)a, var. of ǣcumbe, ǣcuma, corr. to OHG. āchambi (MHG. ākambe, ākamp), f. ǣ-, ā- away, off + *camb-, stem of camb and cemban COMB; the etym. meaning is ‘offcombing’.

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T. F. HOAD. "oakum." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "oakum." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-oakum.html

T. F. HOAD. "oakum." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-oakum.html

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oakum

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

oakum loose fibre obtained by untwisting old rope, used especially in caulking wooden ships. Picking oakum was a task formerly assigned to convicts and inmates of workhouses.

Recorded from Old English in the form ācumbe, literally ‘off-combings’, the current sense dates from Middle English.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "oakum." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "oakum." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-oakum.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "oakum." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-oakum.html

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oakum

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

oa·kum / ˈōkəm/ • n. chiefly hist. loose fiber obtained by untwisting old rope, used esp. in caulking wooden ships.

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"oakum." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-oakum.html

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oakum

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

oakum •amalgam • Targum • begum •Brigham • lingam • ogham • sorghum •Nahum • Belgium • dodgem •Brummagem • stratagem • Rackham •Malcolm • Ascham • Beckham •welcome • vade mecum • stickum •dinkum • modicum • hypericum •capsicum • viaticum • practicum •Occam •hokum, locum, oakum •bunkum •alum, Calum, mallam, vallum •Pablum •Haarlem, Harlem, Malayalam, slalom •antebellum, cerebellum, elm, helm, overwhelm, pelham, realm, underwhelm, vellum •emblem • bedlam • peplum •exemplum • wychelm • Kenelm •Salem • velum •aspergillum, chillum, film, vexillum •Whitlam • clingfilm • telefilm •microfilm •asylum, hilum, phylum, whilom •column, olm, solemn •problem • golem • hoodlum • Ulm •incunabulum, pabulum •coagulum • pendulum • speculum •curriculum • cimbalom • paspalum •Absalom • Jerusalem • tantalum

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	ANCIENT BUNDLES STILL SAVE LIVES AT SEA OAKUM, A HOLDOVER FROM WOOD-SHIP... Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 2/4/2001
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