English vocabulary · B2
Flotsam
/ˈflɒt.səm/ · n.
It means the broken pieces and lost things that float on water after a ship goes down.
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Example sentences
- The beach was covered in flotsam after the storm.
- He felt like flotsam, lost and left behind.
Word origin and roots
from Old English
- flot — float (from Old English)
- sam — collection (from Old English)
Synonyms and nuances
- debris (fragments scatter after destruction)
- wreckage (remains of a destroyed vessel are found)
- remnant (small traces of something remain)
Words with the same root
flot — float
- float — to rest on or move along the surface of liquid
- fleet — a group of ships or vehicles moving together — named for their flowing movement
- flutter — to move lightly and quickly, like something floating on air
Lesson notes
Flotsam. It means the broken pieces and lost things that float on water after a ship goes down. Also used for people or things that are left behind and forgotten.
Similar words are debris, wreckage, and remnant. Use flotsam when talking about things nobody wants that are drifting away.
The beach was covered in flotsam after the storm. He felt like flotsam, lost and left behind.
From Old English. Flot means float. Sam means collection. Things that float away and collect — that is flotsam.