Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

jetsam

/ˈd͡ʒɛt.səm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.08 in modern English

Syllables: jet-sam
IPA: /ˈd͡ʒɛt.səm/

15

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Items thrown overboard from a ship or boat in distress in order to lighten its load.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Discarded or leftover odds and ends.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"There she was, floating amongst the jetsam, like so much debris."
"They were the jetsam of the dot-com bust."
"STORAGE boxes -- catchalls for flotsam, jetsam, whatnots and thingamajigs -- are gaining new interest as decorative objects for the home."

Etymology

From Middle English jetteson, from Anglo-Norman getteson. Doublet of jettison.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *(H)yeh₁-, jetteson, getteson

Usage

Inflected Forms

jetsams (plural)

Phrases

flotsam and jetsam

Frequently Paired Words

flotsam flotsam and jetsam lagan derelict salvage

Synonyms

flotsam

Questions

How do you pronounce jetsam?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɛt.səm/.
What does jetsam mean?: Items thrown overboard from a ship or boat in distress in order to lighten its load.
Where does jetsam come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce jetsam

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “jetsam”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈd͡ʒɛt.səm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “jetsam”.
Repeat and practice — Say “jetsam” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.