pistol

Meaning

Noun

1. (broadly) A handgun
2. (broadly) A handgun
3. The mechanical component of a fuse in a bomb or torpedo responsible for firing the detonator.
4. A lively, high-energy person.
5. 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

To shoot (at) a target with a pistol.

Synonyms

revolver

gun

🔫

handgun

rifle

spray gun

side arm

revoler

rod

large

shooting iron

peacekeeper

shooter

six-shooter

weapon

metallization apparatus

musket

ball

barker

bullet

firearm

firearms

gat

hand-gun

heat

automatic pistol

Translations

pistolet

🔫

pistola

Pistole

pistola

πιστόλι

pistool

pistola

مسدس

tabanca

pistola

Revolver

Faustfeuerwaffe

revolver

rivoltella

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpɪstəl/

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”).