Hypertext Webster Gateway: "oakum"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Oakum \Oak"um\, n. [AS. [=a]cumba; pref. ? (cf.G. er-, Goth.
us-, orig. meaning, out) + cemban to comb, camb comb. See
{Comb}.]
1. The material obtained by untwisting and picking into loose
fiber old hemp ropes; -- used for calking the seams of
ships, stopping leaks, etc.
2. The coarse portion separated from flax or hemp in
nackling. --Knight.
{White oakum}, that made from untarred rope.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
oakum
n : loose hemp or jute fiber obtained by unravelling old ropes;
when impregnated with tar it was used to caulk seams and
pack joints in wooden ships
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