clappers

7.9

Two pieces of wood or bone that you click together to make rhythm

noun
/ˈklæpərz/

: castañuelas

The dancers used clappers to keep time with the rhythm of the music.

Examples

During the performance, the sound of the clappers added excitement to the lively dance.
She practiced her routine, making sure to click the clappers at just the right moment.
That's what my hinge is gonna end up looking like, and it will do double duty of both attaching the hinge to the clappers and the clappers to the board.

Synonyms

bones

vsclappers

19 8.7

Two small curved pieces of wood or bone that you click together to make a rhythm

is used mainly by dancers rather than mainly in folk music

percussion instrument

vsclappers

3 3.3

A thing you hit, shake, or scrape to make sound in music

is a specific dancer-used pair of hollow pieces rather than the whole category

finger cymbals

vsclappers

1 7.3

A pair of small metal discs worn on the fingers and tapped to make a bright ring used in dance

is hollow wood or bone producing a firmer click rather than a metal tinkle

castanets

vsclappers

8.3

A pair of small wooden pieces clicked in the hands to make a sharp sound

is used by dancers across many styles rather than only in Spanish dancing

How Loud

woodblock

3.7

clave

7.9

clappers

7.9

castanets

8.3

finger cymbals

1 7.3

Surface Forms

clapper singular

clappers plural

Morphology

clappers = clapper (transparent) = clap + er + s

The plural 's' on 'clapper' is a straightforward pluralization; 'clapper' itself is clearly formed from 'clap' + '-er' meaning an instrument or agent.

Etymology

Clappers comes from the simple English verb clap, which means 'to hit your hands together' or more broadly 'to make a short, sharp sound'. So clappers are literally two pieces that 'clap' together to make a clear beat for dancers and musicians.