gripper

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English grip

Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.

Proto-Italic *-āsjos

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

English -er

English gripper

From grip + -er.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹɪ.pə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹɪ.pəɹ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪpə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: grip‧per

Noun

gripper (plural grippers)

1. A person who or thing which grips something.
   • 1998, Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, page 1061:

     In a method for guiding a thread onto an empty reel after a first reel in a continuously operating spooler has become full, utilizing a moving finger on the spooler in cooperation with a gripper rotating with the empty reel […]

2. A cover on a handle that makes it easier to grip.
3. (curling) A rubber or other material attached to a curling shoe to improve traction on the ice.
4. (rail transport, slang) A ticket collector.
5. (graphical user interface) A visual component on a window etc. enabling it to be resized and/or moved.
   • 2004, Micah Laaker, Christopher Schmitt, Adobe Photoshop CS in 10 Simple Steps or Less, page 43:

     To move the options bar from its default location at the top of the screen to a new location, click the gripper on the option bar's left edge and drag it to its new location.

6. (slang, usually in the plural) A foot.

   Put those grippers away!

Derived terms

• fin gripper
• microgripper
• nanogripper

Further reading

• “gripper”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• “gripper”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “grippers”, in Urban Dictionary, launched 1999.

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French *gripper, from Frankish *grīpan, from Proto-Germanic *grīpaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreyb- (“to grab, grasp”). Doublet of griffer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡʁi.pe/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Verb

gripper

1. to grab, to grasp

Conjugation

Conjugation of gripper (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	gripper
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	grippant /ɡʁi.pɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		grippé /ɡʁi.pe/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	grippe /ɡʁip/	grippes /ɡʁip/	grippe /ɡʁip/	grippons /ɡʁi.pɔ̃/	grippez /ɡʁi.pe/	grippent /ɡʁip/
	imperfect	grippais /ɡʁi.pɛ/	grippais /ɡʁi.pɛ/	grippait /ɡʁi.pɛ/	grippions /ɡʁi.pjɔ̃/	grippiez /ɡʁi.pje/	grippaient /ɡʁi.pɛ/
	past historic2	grippai /ɡʁi.pe/	grippas /ɡʁi.pa/	grippa /ɡʁi.pa/	grippâmes /ɡʁi.pam/	grippâtes /ɡʁi.pat/	grippèrent /ɡʁi.pɛʁ/
	future	gripperai /ɡʁi.pʁe/	gripperas /ɡʁi.pʁa/	grippera /ɡʁi.pʁa/	gripperons /ɡʁi.pʁɔ̃/	gripperez /ɡʁi.pʁe/	gripperont /ɡʁi.pʁɔ̃/
	conditional	gripperais /ɡʁi.pʁɛ/	gripperais /ɡʁi.pʁɛ/	gripperait /ɡʁi.pʁɛ/	gripperions /ɡʁi.pə.ʁjɔ̃/	gripperiez /ɡʁi.pə.ʁje/	gripperaient /ɡʁi.pʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	grippe /ɡʁip/	grippes /ɡʁip/	grippe /ɡʁip/	grippions /ɡʁi.pjɔ̃/	grippiez /ɡʁi.pje/	grippent /ɡʁip/
	imperfect2	grippasse /ɡʁi.pas/	grippasses /ɡʁi.pas/	grippât /ɡʁi.pa/	grippassions /ɡʁi.pa.sjɔ̃/	grippassiez /ɡʁi.pa.sje/	grippassent /ɡʁi.pas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	grippe /ɡʁip/	—	grippons /ɡʁi.pɔ̃/	grippez /ɡʁi.pe/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Derived terms

• grippe

Descendants

• → Spanish: gripar

Further reading

• “gripper”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012