a metal clip with a spring for attaching to a piton, belay, etc
Also called: snaplink, krab
Word origin
shortened from German Karabinerhaken, literally: carbine hook, that is, one used to attach carbines to a belt
snap ring in American English
noun
Machinery
any of various kinds of metal rings that must be forced open to be used and snap back into place to make a snug fit
Word origin
[1900–05]This word is first recorded in the period 1900–05. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cathode-ray tube, clone, hookup, hormone, hydroplane