Flotsam: Nautical SAT Vocabulary
FLOTSAM most nearly means: A) debris; B) cargo; C) vessel; D) current. Answer inside. 👉️
Flotsam is related to the word float, and is commonly used in tandem with jetsam. Both are used in the context of nautical disasters!
📚️ Definition of Flotsam
Flotsam (noun): The wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on the sea; more broadly, useless or discarded objects. Example: the beach was littered with flotsam after the storm.
Flotsam vs. jetsam: These two are often paired, but they’re technically different. Flotsam refers to debris that ends up in the water accidentally, like a ship’s wreckage that floats away on its own. Jetsam, on the other hand, refers to items deliberately thrown overboard (for example, to lighten a ship in distress).
A handy memory trick: jetsam was jettisoned; flotsam floats.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Flotsam
IPA: /ˈflɑt.səm/ (See IPA key)
Respelling: FLAHT-suhm
📰 Examples of Flotsam
Here are some examples of the word flotsam:
After the hurricane wrecked the coast, the entire area was covered in flotsam, from busted houses to wrecked cars to tons of garbage.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is pretty much just a massive collection of flotsam swirling around in ocean currents.
The flotsam of the sunken ship revealed clues to what led to its sinking.
Quiz answer: A, debris.