What is "clamper"

Clamper \Clamp"er\, n. An instrument of iron, with sharp prongs, attached to a boot or shoe to enable the wearer to walk securely upon ice; a creeper.
--Kane.

n. 1 One who, or that which, clamps. 2 An attachment with sharp metal prongs, attached to a boot or shoe to enable the wearer to walk securely upon ice. 3 (context electronics English) A circuit that restricts the amplitude of a waveform.

A clamper can mean:

• A clamper, an electronic circuit.
• A spiked plate worn on the sole of the shoe to prevent slipping when walking on ice.
• A person who applies a wheel clamp to a vehicle parked illegally or on private land.
• A person who belongs to the Ancient and Honorable Society of E Clampus Vitus.

A clamper is an electronic circuit that fixes either the positive or the negative peak excursions of a signal to a defined value by shifting its DC value. The clamper does not restrict the peak-to-peak excursion of the signal, it moves the whole signal up or down so as to place the peaks at the reference level. A diode clamp (a simple, common type) consists of a diode, which conducts electric current in only one direction and prevents the signal exceeding the reference value; and a capacitor which provides a DC offset from the stored charge. The capacitor forms a time constant with the resistor load which determines the range of frequencies over which the clamper will be effective.