Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Cargo or equipment thrown overboard to lighten a ship in distress.
- n. Discarded cargo or equipment found washed ashore. See Usage Note at flotsam.
- n. Discarded odds and ends.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In law and com.: Same as jettison.
- n. The goods thrown out by jettison.
Wiktionary
- n. articles thrown overboard from a ship or boat in order to lighten the load of a ship in distress
- n. discarded odds and ends
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Goods which sink when cast into the sea, and remain under water; -- distinguished from
flotsam , goods which float, andligan (orlagan ), goods which are sunk attached to a buoy. - n. The act of throwing objects from a ship to lighten the load; jettison{1}. See Jettison, 1.
- n. Anything thrown overboard from a ship, whether floating or not.
- n. Objects scattered about in a disorderly manner.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the floating wreckage of a ship
- n. the part of a ship's equipment or cargo that is thrown overboard to lighten the load in a storm
Etymologies
- From earlier jetson, alteration of Middle English jetteson, a throwing overboard; see jettison.
Examples
“And I’d argue that his ability to nose out a story and piece it together from all the flotsam and jetsam is just what we’ve been missing in national journalism.”
“The noun is also the source of the word "jetsam" ( "jettisoned goods"), which is often paired with”
“While there are trained artists--perhaps inspired by GaudÃ's early 20th-century mosaics or Marcel Duchamp's readymades--who sculpt and construct large-scale artworks made from repurposed cast offs, many more are dreamers with ordinary day jobs who abhor waste, have a penchant for collecting, and seize upon an unstoppable urge to create something beautiful from the flotsam and jetsam modern life.”
The Huffington Post: Trash Art: California's Artistic Recycling Revolution
“While there are trained artists--perhaps inspired by Gaudí's early 20th-century mosaics or Marcel Duchamp's readymades--who sculpt and construct large-scale artworks made from repurposed cast offs, many more are dreamers with ordinary day jobs who abhor waste, have a penchant for collecting, and seize upon an unstoppable urge to create something beautiful from the flotsam and jetsam modern life.”
The Huffington Post: Trash Art: California's Artistic Recycling Revolution
“My nationwide cohort of subs included the flotsam and jetsam of the economic downturn -- unemployed realtors, bankers, nurses.”
““The beach scattered with dead bodies and all sorts of flotsam and jetsam”.”
“The beach scattered with dead bodies and all sorts of flotsam and jetsam?”
“He worries more about "the crackheads, disenfranchised and other flotsam and jetsam" menacing folks on the streets.”
The Washington Post: Since D.C.'s handgun ban ended, well-heeled residents have become well armed
“There's the ancient paterfamilias who won't even think of retiring, leaving Rick rather like Prince Charles, were he brokering jetsam in Vegas in a purgatorial wait for unambiguous control of the enterprise.”
The Wall Street Journal: Who Needs an MBA When We Have 'Dog the Bounty Hunter'?
“A tow-rope was requisitioned from an up-coming boat, and a pair of horses from a pack-train on the bank, and the ghastly jetsam hauled ashore.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘jetsam’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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Kapok Vest and Other Floaty Words
List of words and things buoyant.
kapok vest, balsa wood, pumice, buoy, lifebuoy, dan, soap bubble, styrofoam, oil, foam, cloud, smoke ring and 43 more...
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