flotsam: Meaning and Definition of

flot•sam

Pronunciation: (flot'sum), [key]
— n.
  1. the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water. Cf. jetsam, lagan.
  2. material or refuse floating on water.
  3. useless or unimportant items; odds and ends.
  4. a vagrant, penniless population:Also called the flotsam of the city slums in medieval Europe.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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