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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.
Examples of flotsam in a Sentence
Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 25 Feb. 2025
The role will give him access to vast amounts of highly sensitive intelligence, as well as the daily flotsam of rumor, speculation and false accusations that F.B.I. agents receive from informants and the public.
—Devlin Barrett, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
The Lyles family, meanwhile, remained scattered, rendered flotsam of the American slave system.
—Robert Colby, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
But that pick should be something the Kings can leverage, along with the second-round selections in some trade flotsam down the road.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flotsam
Cite this Entry
“Flotsam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flotsam. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
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flotsam
noun
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