Something that reduces the intensity or effect of something else, or a device that absorbs vibrations and reduces movement; can also mean something that discourages or depresses.
From damp plus -er suffix. Damp comes from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German damp meaning 'vapor' or 'mist.' A damper is literally something that makes things damp or reduces their intensity.
Dampers are secretly everywhere—in your car's suspension, in door closers preventing them from slamming, and in piano pedals controlling how long notes ring. They're unnoticed engineering heroes that keep systems from going chaotic!
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