jetsam

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English

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Etymology

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From Middle English jetteson, from Anglo-Norman getteson. Doublet of jettison.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈ d͡ʒɛt.səm/; enPR: jĕtˈ -səm
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: jet‧sam

Noun

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jetsam (countable and uncountable, plural jetsams)

  1. Items thrown overboard from a ship or boat in distress in order to lighten its load.
    There she was, floating amongst the jetsam, like so much debris.
  2. (by extension) Discarded or leftover odds and ends.
    They were the jetsam of the dot-com bust.
    • 1991 May 30, Emily Gwathmey, “Storage Box: Catchall's New Life as Eye-Catcher”, in The New York Times[1]:
      STORAGE boxes -- catchalls for flotsam, jetsam, whatnots and thingamajigs -- are gaining new interest as decorative objects for the home.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Anagrams

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