flotsam

(flŏt'səm)
n.

1. 1. Wreckage or cargo that remains afloat after a ship has sunk.
   2. Floating refuse or debris.
2. Discarded odds and ends.
3. Vagrant, usually destitute people.

[Anglo-Norman floteson, from Old French floter, to float, of Germanic origin.]

USAGE NOTE   In maritime law, flotsam applies to wreckage or cargo left floating on the sea after a shipwreck. Jetsam applies to cargo or equipment thrown overboard from a ship in distress and either sunk or washed ashore. The common phrase flotsam and jetsam is now used loosely to describe any objects found floating or washed ashore.

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[ܒflätsǝm]

ˈflätsǝm n. the wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on or washed up by the sea.Compare with jetsam.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

A name for the goods that float upon the sea when cast overboard for the safety of the ship or when a ship is sunk. Distinguished from jetsam (goods deliberately thrown over to lighten ship) and ligan (goods cast into the sea attached to a buoy).

Floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo; floating debris; unimportant miscellaneous material.

IN BRIEF: Floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo.

After the ship was hit by the huge wave, there was much flotsam scattered for miles on the surface of the ocean.

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For a list of words related to flotsam, see:

• Seamanship and Port - flotsam: floating wreckage
• Foolishness, Bunkum, and Trifles

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See words rhyming with "flotsam."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Flotsam.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - drivgods, drivende vraggods

idioms:

• flotsam and jetsam    vraggods, skrammel, omkringstrejfere

Nederlands (Dutch)
rommel, drijvend wrak, zwervende bevolking

Français (French)
n. - épave(s) flottante(s), (fig) les laissés-pour-compte

idioms:

• flotsam and jetsam    choses refoulées par la mer

Deutsch (German)
n. - Treibgut

idioms:

• flotsam and jetsam    Treibgut

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - εκβράσματα, αποβράσματα, (μτφ.) ναυάγια της ζωής

idioms:

• flotsam and jetsam    (ναυτ.) έρμαια ναυαγίου και αβαρίας, ναυάγια της ζωής

Italiano (Italian)
relitti galleggianti

idioms:

• flotsam and jetsam    cianfrusaglie

Português (Portuguese)
n. - destroços (m pl) de navio

idioms:

• flotsam and jetsam    despojos (m pl) do mar, pessoas (f pl) sem casa ou trabalho que ficam vagando

Русский (Russian)
выброшенный и плавающий на поверхности, обломки

idioms:

• flotsam and jetsam    барахло, бродяги

Español (Spanish)
n. - pecios, fruslerías, objetos flotantes

idioms:

• flotsam and jetsam    gente sin oficio ni beneficio, marginados, desechos, restos

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - vrakgods

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
浮货, 零碎, 废料

idioms:

• flotsam and jetsam    失事船只残骸, 流浪者, 无价值物

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 浮貨, 零碎, 廢料

idioms:

• flotsam and jetsam    失事船隻殘骸, 流浪者, 無價值物

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 표류화물

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 浮き荷, 漂流物, がらくた, 浮浪者

idioms:

• flotsam and jetsam    浮き荷と投げ荷, がらくた

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حطام السفينه الطافي , مشردون‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שרידי אונייה טרופה‬

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