CLAMP

clamp, clinch

(noun) a device (generally used by carpenters) that holds things firmly together

clamp

(verb) impose or inflict forcefully; “The military government clamped a curfew onto the capital”

clamp

(verb) fasten or fix with a clamp; “clamp the chair together until the glue has hardened”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

clamp (plural clamps)

A brace, band, or clasp for strengthening or holding things together.

(medicine) An instrument used to temporarily shut off blood vessels, etc.

(UK) A parking enforcement device used to immobilise a car until it can be towed or a fine is paid; a wheel clamp.

A mass of bricks heaped up to be burned; or of ore for roasting, or of coal coking.

A pile of root vegetables stored under a layer of earth.

A piece of wood (batten) across the grain of a board end to keep it flat, as in a breadboard.

(electronics) An electronic circuit that fixes either the positive or the negative peak excursions of a signal to a defined value by shifting its DC value.

Verb

clamp (third-person singular simple present clamps, present participle clamping, simple past and past participle clamped)

(transitive, intransitive) To fasten in place or together with (or as if with) a clamp.

(transitive) To hold or grip tightly.

(transitive) To modify (a numeric value) so it lies within a specific range.

(UK, obsolete, transitive) To cover (vegetables, etc.) with earth.

Etymology 2

Imitative.

Noun

clamp (plural clamps)

(dated) A heavy footstep; a tramp.

Verb

clamp (third-person singular simple present clamps, present participle clamping, simple past and past participle clamped)

(intransitive, dated) To tread heavily or clumsily; to clump or clomp.

Source: Wiktionary


Clamp, n. Etym: [Cf. LG. & D. klamp, Dan. klampe, also D. klampen to fasten, clasp. Cf. Clam, Cramp.]

1. Something rigid that holds fast or binds things together; a piece of wood or metal, used to hold two or more pieces together.

2. (a) An instrument with a screw or screws by which work is held in its place or two parts are temporarily held together. (b) (Joinery) A piece of wood placed across another, or inserted into another, to bind or strengthen.

3. One of a pair of movable pieces of lead, or other soft material, to cover the jaws of a vise and enable it to grasp without bruising.

4. (Shipbuilding)

Definition: A thick plank on the inner part of a ship's side, used to sustuan the ends of beams.

5. A mass of bricks heaped up to be burned; or of ore for roasting, or of coal coking.

6. A mollusk. See Clam. [Obs.] Clamp nails, nails used to fasten on clamps in ships.

Clamp, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clamped p. pr. & vb. n. Clamping.]

1. To fasten with a clamp or clamps; to apply a clamp to; to place in a clamp.

2. To cover, as vegetables, with earth. [Eng.]

Clamp, n. Etym: [Prob. an imitative word. Cf.Clank.]

Definition: A heavy footstep; a tramp.

Clamp, v. i.

Definition: To tread heavily or clumsily; to clump. The policeman with clamping feet. Thackeray.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

3 April 2025

WHOLE

(noun) an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; “how big is that part compared to the whole?”; “the team is a unit”


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