CLAPPER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does clapper mean? 

• CLAPPER (noun)
  The noun CLAPPER has 3 senses:

1. someone who applauds

2. a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity

3. metal striker that hangs inside a bell and makes a sound by hitting the side

  Familiarity information: CLAPPER used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CLAPPER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Someone who applauds

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

applauder; clapper

Hypernyms ("clapper" is a kind of...):

extoller; laudator; lauder (someone who communicates high praise)

Derivation:

clap (clap one's hands together)

clap (clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

clapper; glossa; lingua; tongue

Hypernyms ("clapper" is a kind of...):

organ (a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function)

articulator (a movable speech organ)

Meronyms (parts of "clapper"):

gustatory organ; taste bud; tastebud (an oval sensory end organ on the surface of the tongue)

Holonyms ("clapper" is a part of...):

mouth; oral cavity; oral fissure; rima oris (the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge)

pharynx; throat (the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Metal striker that hangs inside a bell and makes a sound by hitting the side

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

clapper; tongue

Hypernyms ("clapper" is a kind of...):

striker (the part of a mechanical device that strikes something)

Holonyms ("clapper" is a part of...):

bell (a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck)

Derivation:

clap (strike together so as to produce a sharp percussive noise)

 Context examples 

“Your tongue goes like the clapper of a mill-wheel. Sit down here, friend, and partake of this herring. Understand first, however, that there are certain conditions attached to it.”

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The research found that two of the species in the study, saltmarsh sparrows and clapper rails, are declining from increased coastal flooding caused by higher sea levels.

(Coastal birds can weather the storm, but not the sea, National Science Foundation)

For example, a storm could cause mortality for a third of saltmarsh sparrows and clapper rails in one year, but it would be unlikely that their populations would decrease significantly over time.

(Coastal birds can weather the storm, but not the sea, National Science Foundation)