A clipper is a type of fast sailing ship built for speed rather than cargo capacity. In the mid-1800s, clippers were the racing cars of the ocean, with sleek hulls and towering masts that carried enormous sails to catch every bit of wind. These ships could reach speeds of 20 knots (about 23 miles per hour), which was incredibly fast for the time.

Clippers became famous during the California Gold Rush, when merchants would pay premium prices to get goods from New York to San Francisco as quickly as possible. The journey around South America's Cape Horn took most ships six months, but the fastest clippers could make it in under 90 days. Ship captains competed fiercely to set speed records, and newspapers tracked their voyages like we follow sports championships today.

One of the most famous clipper ships, the Cutty Sark, still exists as a museum ship in London.

The word also refers to a tool for cutting: barbers use electric clippers to trim hair, and gardeners use hand clippers (also called pruning shears) to trim plants. You might even clip your fingernails with nail clippers. These tools all “clip,” or cut things short, just as clipper ships clipped time off long voyages.