Paperclip

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A common office utensil that secures sheets of paper using a bent wire loop
2. A small looped piece of wire used to keep multiple sheets of paper fastened together
3. An office supply item made of thin metal shaped to grip sheets without damaging them

Etymology: The word is a plain compound of "paper" and "clip," so its history lies mainly in the second part. "Clip" comes from Middle English "clippen," which descends from Old English "clyppan," meaning to embrace or hug. The idea of squeezing things together to hold them is still in the verb, which is why a small wire that grips a stack of sheets is named for it. Used as a single unhyphenated word, "paperclip" is simply the modern spelling of the two-word form "paper clip." The two spellings describe the same object, and the one-word form is the more common in print today.

Synonyms: binder clip, clip