pistol

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And a Lematt pistol, a old black powder pistol from the American Civil war.

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Definitions (9)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun A firearm designed to be held and fired with one hand.
  2. transitive verb To shoot with such a handgun.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples (50)

  • Agnes thought about all these things, and she took hold of the drawer where the pistol was and pulled it open with the fold of her dressing-gown round her hand, just as she had done with the door. —  The Chinese Shawl - Patricia Wentworth - Miss Silver 05
  • And a Lematt pistol, a old black powder pistol from the American Civil war. —  Netvouz - new bookmarks
  • A man who attempted to walk into the Kankakee County Courthouse with a pistol was arrested without incident after being stopped at the entrance. —  The Daily Journal Local News
  • But the pistol is the ready arbiter of every quarrel; the duelist's code is so established that it can hardly be ignored even by one who disapproves it; and the high-toned gentleman is no whit too high for the street encounter with his opponent. —  The Negro and the Nation A History of American Slavery and Enfranchisement
  • A native straw hat on Mark's head and a silk scarf round his waist, with a cavalry pistol in it, enhanced the brigand-like aspect of his costume This pistol was their only fire-arm, the gun having been broken beyond repair, but each carried a spear in one hand, a gauze butterfly-net in the other, and a basket, in lieu of a specimen-box, on his shoulder. —  The Fugitives The Tyrant Queen of Madagascar
 

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. French pistole, from German, from Middle High German pischulle, from Czech píšt'ala, pipe, whistle, firearm, from pištěti, to whistle, of imitative origin.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Formerly also pistoll; = Dutch pistool = German pistole = Swedish Danish pistol, from Old French pistole = Spanish Portuguese pistola, from Italian pistola, “a dag or pistoll” (Florio); cf. pistolese, “a great dagger, a wood-knife” (Florio), Old French pistoyer, a dagger; said to have been orig. made at Pistoria, from Pistola, now Pistoia, a town near Florence, from Latin Pistorium, a city in Etruria, now Pistoia. The name appears to have been transferred from a dagger (a small sword) to a pistol (a small gun). Cf. pistole, and pistolet, pistolet.
  2. = French pistoler; from the noun.
 

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/ˈpɪstəl/
by American Heritage

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