flotsam
UK /ˈflɒtsəm/ · US /ˈflɑtsəm/ noun
Forms flotsams floatsam floatsome flotson
Synonyms
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman floteson, from Old French flotaison (“a floating”), from floter (“to float”), of Germanic origin (See float.), + -aison, from Latin -atio.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Goods lost by shipwreck, and floating on the sea; --in distinction from jetsam or jetson. Blackstone.
Etymology [F. flotter to float. See FFlotilla, and cf. Jetsam.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “flotsam”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details