n. — Atlantic Canada, especially Newfoundland, outdoors, rare
a chunk of floating ice or a small iceberg.
Type: 3. Semantic Change — The term clumper likely derives from the word clump, meaning 'a lump, mass' (see OED-3, s.v. "clumper"). The EDD (s.v. "clump") refers more specifically to 'a heavy misshapen mass of wood, stone, soil, &c.'. In Atlantic Canada, clumper has adopted the meaning of 'a chunk of floating ice' (see the 1978 and 1986 quotations). According to Clarke (2010b: 118), in Newfoundland many terms have developed narrow meanings relating to the maritime context.
See also COD-2, s.v. "clumper", which is marked "Cdn (Maritimes & Nfld)", DNE, s.v. "clumper", DPEIE, s.v. "clumpet".