

Human: What is the difference between flotsam and jetsom?

Assistant: Good question.  “Flotsam” is the wreckage of a ship after a shipwreck.  “Jetsom” is any old rubbish.  So, jetsom is basically stuff that has come unattached from its original context and has now been torn from the purpose it served.  Flotsam is something that has been cast off from a previous structure, but is still connected in some way, at least on some level.


Human: What is the difference between flotsam and jetsom?

Assistant: Both words have come into the English language from the Scandinavian languages, but I’m not sure what you’re referring to. The word “jetsom” came from Old Norse, meaning a kind of cushion or throw, as in a pillow or seat. It was also a name for a sort of shield or protection. “Flotsam” on the other hand comes from Old Danish, and refers to cargo or goods floating on the sea, and also by extension anything floating in water in general, like driftwood, debris, and the like. The other noun meaning, “a remnant”, was borrowed into English.
What is the difference between flotsam and jetsom?
Good question.  “Flotsam” is the wreckage of a ship after a shipwreck.  “Jetsom” is any old rubbish.  So, jetsom is basically stuff that has come unattached from its original context and has now been torn from the purpose it served.  Flotsam is something that has been cast off from a previous structure, but is still connected in some way, at least on some level.
Both words have come into the English language from the Scandinavian languages, but I’m not sure what you’re referring to. The word “jetsom” came from Old Norse, meaning a kind of cushion or throw, as in a pillow or seat. It was also a name for a sort of shield or protection. “Flotsam” on the other hand comes from Old Danish, and refers to cargo or goods floating on the sea, and also by extension anything floating in water in general, like driftwood, debris, and the like. The other noun meaning, “a remnant”, was borrowed into English.