oakum

/'oukəm/

Thân thiện

A sailor packs oakum into the seams of a wooden ship's hull.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Loose fiber from old ropes: "oakum" refers to loose, coarse fibers, typically made of hemp or jute, that are obtained by untwisting and picking apart old ropes.
   • Historical caulking material: When these fibers were soaked or impregnated with tar, "oakum" was used as a waterproofing material to seal the seams and pack the joints in the wooden hulls of ships.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The sailor spent hours picking oakum from the old, discarded ropes.
  • Before modern sealants, shipbuilders used tarred oakum to make the vessel watertight.

Advanced Usage

• "to pick oakum": A historical phrase referring to the laborious task of untwisting old ropes to produce the fibers. This was often a form of menial work or punishment in prisons and workhouses.
  • In the 19th century, prisoners were sometimes sentenced to hard labor picking oakum.

Variants and Related Words

• Caulk (verb): To seal a seam or joint to make it watertight or airtight, which was the primary purpose of using oakum.
• Tow (noun): The coarse and broken fibers of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning. This is similar in texture and origin to oakum.

Synonyms

• Rope yarn: Another term for the strands of fiber from old ropes.
• Junk (archaic, nautical): Old cordage or rope that could be picked apart for use as oakum.

Related Phrases

• "Oakum boy" (historical): A term for a young worker, often a boy, whose job was to pick oakum in a shipyard.
• "Oakum picking": The specific activity or task of preparing oakum.

Học thuật

Noun

1. 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