clamp

Pronunciation: /ˈklæmp/

The English word “clamp” has 14 meanings listed here.

noun

A brace, band, or clasp for strengthening or holding things that are apart together.
An instrument used to temporarily shut off blood vessels, etc.
A parking enforcement device used to immobilise a car until it can be towed or a fine is paid; a wheel clamp.
A pile of materials to be heated in a controlled way, stacked or heaped together with fuel so that the fire permeates the pile; the material of interest may be bricks to be fired, ore for roasting, coal for coking, or wood to be charcoalized.
A compact pile of agricultural produce (such as root vegetables or silage) used for temporary storage (often covered with straw, earth, or both).
A piece of wood (batten) across the grain of a board end to keep it flat, as in a breadboard.
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.
A heavy footstep; a tramp.

verb

To fasten in place or together with (or as if with) a clamp.
To hold or grip tightly.
To modify (a numeric value) so it lies within a specific range by replacing values outside the range with the closest value within the range.
To cover (vegetables, etc.) with earth.
To immobilise (a vehicle) by means of a wheel clamp.
To tread heavily or clumsily; to clump or clomp.

Etymology

From Middle Dutch clamp, klampe (“a clamp, hook”), from Proto-Germanic *klampō (“clamp, clasp, cramp”), related to Proto-West Germanic *klammjan. Cognate with Middle Low German klampe (“hook, clasp”), German Klampfe, Klampe (“clamp, cleat”), Norwegian klamp (“clamp”), Alemannic German Chlempi.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.