clamps

Noun

clamp (plural clamps)

1. A brace, band, or clasp for strengthening or holding things that are apart together.
2. An instrument used to temporarily shut off blood vessels, etc.
3. (UK) A parking enforcement device used to immobilise a car until it can be towed or a fine is paid; a wheel clamp.
4. 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.
   • [T]he pots would be stacked in a heap, covered with wood chippings and brushwood and domed over with turves, leaving a few air vents around the sides. When complete the clamp would be fired[.]1983, Barry Cunliffe, chapter 8, in Danebury Hillfort, Stroud: Tempus
5. A compact pile of agricultural produce (such as root vegetables or silage) used for temporary storage (often covered with straw, earth, or both).
6. A piece of wood (batten) across the grain of a board end to keep it flat, as in a breadboard.

See all 15 meanings of clamp