Did you know?
Flotsam and Jetsam Aren't Just Ursula's Eels
English speakers started using flotsam, jetsam, and lagan as legal terms in the 16th and 17th centuries (the earliest evidence of flotsam dates from around the early 1600s). The three words were used to establish claims of ownership to the three types of seaborne, vessel-originated goods they named. Flotsam was anything from a shipwreck (the word comes from Old French floter, meaning "to float"). Jetsam and lagan were items thrown overboard to lighten a ship. Lagan was distinguished from jetsam by having a buoy attached so the goods could be found if they sank. In the 19th century, when flotsam and jetsam took on extended meanings, they became synonyms, but they are still very often paired.
Synonyms
Examples of flotsam in a Sentence
Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 28 Oct. 2024
Federal officials and experts are warning that the winds and floodwaters from Helene that wrecked the Southeast carry unscrupulous fraudsters amid the flotsam.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
The flotsam of the internet is childish, ridiculous and, consequently, easy to underestimate.
—Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 10 July 2024
Full of the flotsam and jetsam of everyday affairs.
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for flotsam 
Dictionary Entries Near flotsam
Cite this Entry
“Flotsam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flotsam. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flotsam
noun
Share