ˈtripə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English trippere, from trippen to trip + -ere -er — more at trip
1. : a person that trips: as
a. chiefly Britain : one that takes a trip : excursionist , tourist
a kind of traveller's companion for the literary-minded tripper — New Yorker
like a day tripper who has missed the last train home — Elizabeth Bowen
b. : one (as an extra employee on a street railway) employed by the trip
c. : deckman 2c
2. : a device or mechanism that trips: as
a. : a contrivance operated by a passing train to work a signal, switch, or alarm
b. : a projecting piece on a railroad track for operating a catch on a passing train to apply the brakes or sound a warning
c. : a mechanism for releasing the prop of a wicket in a movable dam
d. : a device for causing the load on a conveyor to be discharged into a hopper or other receptacle