Clamps

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /klæmps/

Definitions

1. Instruments that are employed to firmly secure objects together in order to prevent displacement
2. Tools designed to grip materials firmly to keep them fixed in place
3. Implements made to press or hold two or more items securely while working on them

Etymology: "Clamps" is simply the plural of "clamp", so the story belongs to the singular. The noun "clamp" came into English from Middle Dutch "clamp" or "klampe", meaning a clamp or hook, which in turn descends from a Proto-Germanic root meaning a clasp or cramp. The word is closely related to German "Klampfe" and "Klampe", both meaning a cleat or clamp, and to Middle Low German "klampe", a hook or clasp. Its origin is imitative: the word seems to have grown from the sound of something gripping or snapping shut, a sense of closing tightly on an object. That sound-based beginning fits the job the tool does, since a clamp exists to squeeze two things together and hold them still while they are worked on.

Synonyms: fasteners, braces, holders, grippers, supports

Antonyms: releases, loosens, unclamps, detaches, separates