A.Word.A.Day --jetsam

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Today's Word

jetsam

PRONUNCIATION:

(JET-suhm)

MEANING:

noun:
1. Goods thrown overboard to lighten a ship in distress.
2. Discarded material, debris, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

An alteration of the word jettison. Earlier, jettison was the act of throwing goods overboard to lighten a ship in distress. From Latin jactare (to throw), frequentative of jacere (to throw). Earliest documented use: 1491.

USAGE:

“I yearn to be of the stars. We are all stardust, after all, having been created from jetsam of the Big Bang.”
A.J. Ullman; Drifting Falling; Moonshine Cove Publishing; 2017.

See more usage examples of jetsam in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Only the madman is absolutely sure. -Robert Anton Wilson, novelist (18 Jan 1932-2007)

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