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Jan 4, 2021 · Flotsam and jetsam are terms that describe two types of marine debris associated with vessels. Flotsam is defined as debris in the water that was not deliberately thrown overboard, often as a result from a shipwreck or accident.
1. : floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo. broadly : floating debris. flotsam washed up by the tide. 2. a. : a floating population (as of emigrants or castaways) human flotsam. b. : miscellaneous or unimportant material. a notebook filled with flotsam and jetsam. c. : debris, remains. the village … built on the flotsam of war Stan Sesser.
Flotsam / ˈflɒtsəm / (also known as "flotsan") refers to goods from a sunken vessel that have floated to the surface of the sea, or any floating cargo that is cast overboard.
Flotsam and jetsam are terms used under maritime law to describe floating debris, and the circumstances in which it was abandoned. “Flotsam” refers to debris that’s left behind unintentionally due to wreckage, and “jetsam” refers to items that are purposefully thrown overboard, to lighten the load.
You can use flotsam and jetsam to refer to small or unimportant items that are found together, especially ones that have no connection with each other.
Flotsam literally meant “wreckage or cargo that remains afloat after a ship has sunk.” Jetsam meant “goods thrown overboard from a ship in danger of sinking in order to give it more buoyancy.”
Flotsam (or floatsome) are those items which are floating as a consequence of the action of the sea. Jetsam are those which have been jettisoned by a ship’s crew (although that may float too of course).
Flotsam and jetsam are marine debris found in the oceans of the world. The difference between jetsam and flotsam is related to whether the debris was thrown into the sea deliberately or was involuntarily cast into sea.
Cargo that is found in the sea is either flotsam, jetsam, or lagan. Goods that float on the water and that come from a shipwrecked vessel are flotsam. Jetsam is cargo, ship parts, or equipment that was thrown overboard to lighten a ship in distress and that sinks and remains under the water.
The wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on or washed up by the sea (as distinguished from jetsam, goods or material thrown overboard and washed ashore). Flotsam and jetsam is used generally for useless or discarded objects.
