1.
clamp (tool or fixture for holding parts together)
A mechanical device that uses screws, springs, or levers to hold two objects firmly together. Widely used in woodworking, metalwork, engineering, and medicine; the loanword is standard technical vocabulary across these fields.
Loanword from English 'clamp'. Used as a general technical term for any tool or fixture that squeezes two objects together to hold them still, typically via a screw mechanism.
Usage
- Common in DIY and woodworking contexts: holding glued joints, attaching work to a bench, fixing templates.
- Also used in medical and lab contexts (surgical clamps, hose clamps for laboratory tubing).
- In car repair and plumbing, ホースクランプ ('hose clamp') is the band used to secure rubber hoses.
- In film and TV production, クランプ also refers to the C-clamp-style fixtures used to mount lights on stands.
Common collocations
- クランプで固定する: to fix with a clamp
- クランプで挟む: to clamp between
- 木工クランプ: woodworking clamp
- Cクランプ: C-clamp (shaped like the letter C)
- ホースクランプ: hose clamp
- クランプを締める: to tighten a clamp
- クランプを緩める: to loosen a clamp
Similar words
- 万力: vise; bench vise — the heavy bench-mounted cousin of a clamp, using native vocabulary.
- 留め具: fastener; clip — general native term for any fastening device.
- 締め具: fastener; clamp-like device — emphasizes the squeezing/tightening action.
- プライヤー: pliers — a gripping hand tool, not the same as a clamp.
- バイス: vise — alternative loanword sometimes used for bench vises.