1. Plural of oakum; loose fiber obtained by untwisting and picking apart old rope, used for caulking seams in wooden ships and for other purposes.
Usage: nautical; historical

Examples

• The sailors used oakums to seal the gaps between the wooden planks of the ship's hull.
• In the age of sail, oakums were essential for maintaining a watertight vessel.
• The old rope was shredded into oakums for the shipyard's caulking work.
• Oakums were traditionally made from discarded hemp and cotton ropes.
• The carpenter packed oakums into the seams before applying pitch.