lagan

American  

[lag-uhn] / ˈlæg ən /

Also ligan

noun

Law.

1. anything sunk in the sea, but attached to a buoy or the like so that it may be recovered.

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lagan British  

/ ˈlæɡən, ˈlaɪɡən /

noun

1. goods or wreckage on the sea bed, sometimes attached to a buoy to permit recovery Compare flotsam jetsam

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Etymology

Origin of lagan

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French (from Medieval Latin laganum ); probably from Germanic; compare Old Norse lǫgn “net laid in the sea”

Explanation

Use the noun lagan to describe a ship's discarded or lost cargo that has sunk to the sea floor. Sailors will often mark the location of lagan in order to return and recover it. In the language and law of the sea, there are many terms for things that fall or are thrown overboard, or that remain in the water after a boat capsizes. One of these is lagan, which specifically refers to cargo that can be reclaimed, despite the fact that it's on the bottom of the ocean. Other words are flotsam, jetsam, and derelict, which is something that can't be recovered from the sea floor.

Example Sentences

The lagan or paper fixing the date of the wedding is written by a Brāhman, who seats himself at some distance from the sweeper’s house and composes the letter.

From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India - Volume IV of IV Kumhar-Yemkala by Russell, R. V. (Robert Vane)

The subject of the present notice was picked up at sea, a child, and, under the provisions of maritime law concerning flotsam, jetsam, and lagan, was appropriated by the crew.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 82, August, 1864 by Various

This was one of the places where the Bruce, proudest of the lords of Cleveland, had “free fisheries, plantage, floatage, lagan, jetsom, derelict, and other maritime franchises.”

From A Month in Yorkshire by White, Walter