/oh"keuhm/ , n.
loose fiber obtained by untwisting and picking apart old ropes, used for caulking the seams of ships.
[ bef. 1000; ME okome, OE acuma, var. of ACUMBA, lit., offcombings, equiv. to a- separative prefix (see A- 3 ) + -cumba (see COMB 1 ) ]