clipper

/ˈklɪpər/

/ˈklɪpə/

Other forms: clippers

Use the noun clipper when you're talking about an old-fashioned ship with many masts and sails.

Although clippers were mostly used in the nineteenth century for carrying goods across oceans, you can still see them in various harbors today. The name clipper came from the verb clip, which can mean "to move or run rapidly." An entirely different meaning of clipper is the kind you use to trim your toenails or the weeds along the edge of your driveway.

Definitions of clipper

1. noun

   scissors for cutting hair or finger nails (often used in the plural)
   type of:

   pair of scissors, scissors

   an edge tool having two crossed pivoting blades
2. noun

   shears for cutting grass or shrubbery (often used in the plural)
   type of:

   shears

   large scissors with strong blades
3. noun

   a fast sailing ship used in former times
   synonyms: clipper ship

   type of:

   sailing ship, sailing vessel

   a vessel that is powered by the wind; often having several masts
4. noun

   (electronics) a nonlinear electronic circuit whose output is limited in amplitude; used to limit the instantaneous amplitude of a waveform (to clip off the peaks of a waveform)
   synonyms: limiter

   type of:

   circuit, electric circuit, electrical circuit

   an electrical device that provides a path for electrical current to flow