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flotsam-jetsam

flot·sam-jet·sam
F f

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [flot-suh m jet-suh m]
    • /ˈflɒt səm ˈdʒɛt səm/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [flot-suh m jet-suh m]
    • /ˈflɒt səm ˈdʒɛt səm/

Definitions of flotsam-jetsam word

  • noun flotsam-jetsam the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water. Compare jetsam, lagan. 1
  • noun flotsam-jetsam material or refuse floating on water. 1
  • noun flotsam-jetsam useless or unimportant items; odds and ends. 1
  • noun flotsam-jetsam a vagrant, penniless population: the flotsam of the city slums in medieval Europe. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of flotsam-jetsam

First appearance:

before 1600
One of the 39% oldest English words
1600-10; < Anglo-French floteson, derivative of floter to float < Old English flotian

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Flotsam-jetsam

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

flotsam-jetsam popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 79% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

Synonyms for flotsam-jetsam

noun flotsam-jetsam

  • lagan — anything sunk in the sea, but attached to a buoy or the like so that it may be recovered.

See also

Matching words

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