Wednesday Word 2026: Mathom

I cannot promise how, where or when these words were used, if ever. I simply find them delightful, and want to share.

MATHOM

A term coined by Tolkien that hobbits used to describe any item “they had no use for, but were unwilling to throw away.”

Good Lord, Ishtar and Buddha. I think that describes half of American homes right now. It definitely describes some people I live with (ahem, not me, of course–all of the mathom I’m hoarding will have a purpose one day, I know it).

My workplace has mathom. We have hand sanitizer that is not only expired, but the pump is broken, so you can’t get any sanitizer without cutting off the entire neck of the bottle.

I’m not allowed to throw it away, though. We might need it, my boss says.

My husband has a Commodore 128. No idea if it still works, but he might need it, someday. He originally told me he kept it because you can only play Commodore games on a Commodore.

Then I caught him playing Commodore games on a PC emulator.

We still have the Commodore.