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clipper
(klip′ər)
noun
- a person who cuts, trims, etc.
- a tool for cutting or trimming: a barber's clippers
Origin: for sense, see cutter
- ☆ a sharp-bowed, narrow-beamed sailing ship (c. 1830-54) built for great speed
- a modified form of this with less speed and greater cargo capacity
- a horse, sled, etc. regarded as very swift
- Electronics a circuit designed to limit the amplitude of an output signal to a preset level
Origin: ME < clippen, clip; senses 3 & 4 infl. (?) by MDu klepper, orig., swift horse < LowG kleppen, to sound like hoofbeats (echoic)
See clipper in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
- One that cuts, shears, or clips.
- An instrument or tool for cutting, clipping, or shearing. Often used in the plural: nail clippers.
- Nautical A sharp-bowed sailing vessel of the mid-19th century, having tall masts and sharp lines and built for great speed.
- One that moves very fast.
- Electronics See limiter.
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