The clippers of the 19th century were famous for their ability to sail swiftly across the seas.

clippers 是名词 clipper 的复数形式。clipper 由动词 clip（快速移动）加后缀 -er 构成，原指"快速移动的人或物"，在航海领域特指"快速帆船"，这种船以速度快著称。