Definition

Noun: 1. A fast sailing ship used in former times: A clipper ship is a type of merchant sailing vessel designed and built in the 19th century for exceptional speed. These ships were characterized by their sleek, narrow hulls, a sharp bow (front), and a large sail area on three or more tall masts. Their primary purpose was to transport valuable, time-sensitive cargo, such as tea from China or wool from Australia, across the world's oceans as quickly as possible.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The clipper ship Cutty Sark, now preserved in a museum, was one of the fastest vessels of its era.
  • In the mid-1800s, a clipper ship could sail from China to England in about 100 days, a remarkable speed for the time.
  • The design of the clipper ship prioritized velocity over cargo capacity.

Advanced Usage

• "to be built on clipper ship lines": This phrase is used to describe a modern vessel (often a yacht or a replica) that is designed with the elegant, sharp lines and overall appearance of a historical clipper ship.
  • The luxury yacht was built on clipper ship lines, combining classic beauty with modern technology.

Variants and Related Words

• Clipper (n): A shortened, common form of "clipper ship." It can also refer to a fast-moving person or thing, or a type of tool (e.g., nail clipper).
  • The tea clipper raced across the Indian Ocean.
• Clipper bow (n): The distinctive, sharply angled and often overhanging front section of a clipper ship.
• Extreme clipper (n): A specific, later subtype of clipper ship with an even more exaggerated, narrow hull design for maximum speed.

Synonyms

• Merchant sail: A general term for a sailing vessel used for trade.
• Windjammer: A large merchant sailing ship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which succeeded the clipper era. Windjammers were generally larger and carried more cargo but were slower.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• The days of the clipper ships: A phrase used to refer to a bygone era of maritime history, often implying a sense of romance, adventure, or a time before steam power dominated sea travel.
  • His stories were from the days of the clipper ships, full of tales of rounding Cape Horn under sail alone.

Noun

1. a fast sailing ship used in former times