pistol
noun
- type of handgun where the firing chamber is integral to the barrel
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈpɪstəl/ / [ˈpɪstəl] ~ [ˈpɪstl̩]
noun
Etymology: Probably from Middle French pistole, or via Middle English pistolet, from Middle French pistolet (“small firearm or small dagger”). The origin is unclear. If via German to Romance probably from Middle High German forms like pischulle from Czech píšťala (“firearm”, literally “tube, pipe”), from Proto-Slavic *piščalь, from *piskati, *piščati (“to squeak, whistle”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *pīṣk-. Alternatively, if from Romance to German, from or related to Italian pistolese (“short dagger”), from Italian Pistoia (“a Tuscan town noted for its gunsmithing”).
- A handgun
- A handgun
“She leveled her pistol at the target.”
- The mechanical component of a fuse in a bomb or torpedo responsible for firing the detonator.
- A lively, high-energy person.
“She was gregarious, opinionated, and in charge, the kind of person you'd describe as a real pistol, and I was immediately drawn to her.”
“KENT NELSON —Until my wife Inza convinced me there was more to life. Ah, she was a real pistol, that Inza.”
- An offensive formation in which the quarterback receives the snap at a distance behind the center, but closer than in a shotgun formation, with a running back lined up behind him.
verb
Etymology: Probably from Middle French pistole, or via Middle English pistolet, from Middle French pistolet (“small firearm or small dagger”). The origin is unclear. If via German to Romance probably from Middle High German forms like pischulle from Czech píšťala (“firearm”, literally “tube, pipe”), from Proto-Slavic *piščalь, from *piskati, *piščati (“to squeak, whistle”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *pīṣk-. Alternatively, if from Romance to German, from or related to Italian pistolese (“short dagger”), from Italian Pistoia (“a Tuscan town noted for its gunsmithing”).
- To shoot (at) a target with a pistol.