pistol
pronunciation
How to pronounce pistol in British English:
UK [ˈpɪstl]
How to pronounce pistol in American English:
US [ˈpɪstl]
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- Noun:
- a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
Word Origin
- pistol
- pistol: [16] Pistol is one of a very small and select group of words contributed to English by Czech (others are howitzer and robot). It comes via German pistole from Czech pišt’ala, which literally means ‘pipe’ (it is related to Russian pischal ‘shepherd’s pipe’).
- pistol (n.)
- "small hand-held firearm," 1570s, from Middle French pistole "short firearm" (1566), of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be from German Pistole, from Czech pis'tala "firearm," literally "tube, pipe," from pisteti "to whistle," of imitative origin, related to Russian pischal "shepherd's pipe." But earlier English form pistolet (1550) is said to be from Middle French pistolet "a small firearm," also "a small dagger," which may be the literal sense; though some connect this word with Italian pistolese, in reference to Pistoia, town in Tuscany noted for gunsmithing. Pistol-whip (v.) is first recorded 1942.
Example
- 1. A woman loads a pistol for firing practice .
- 2. Had returned to his truck to get a nine-millimeter pistol .
- 3. Matt 's father rang me because several weeks earlier his son had pointed an unloaded starter 's pistol at a police officer who was trying to arrest him for disorderly conduct .
- 4. Police said contreras had a pistol . They have yet to take witness statements .
- 5. T. j. lane had used a. 22-calibre mark iii target rimfire pistol .