Clapper
/ˈklæp.ər/noun
A device or part that strikes to make a sharp sound, especially the striking piece inside a bell.
Did you know?Clapper ultimately comes from an Old English root for “to strike or clap,” the same ancient sound-family behind words for loud contact and sharp report.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gel-
“to be hard, to harden; to form into a lump”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*klap- / *klapp-
“to strike, clap, make a sharp sound”
Old English
English
clæppere
“one who or that which strikes or claps”
Middle English
English
clappere
“a striker; a bell’s tongue or clapper”
Modern English
English
clapper
“the striking part of a bell or a similar striking piece”