pistol
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pistol
- /ˈpɪstəl/
- [ˈpɪstəl] ~ [ˈpɪstl̩]
Sounds like pistil (weak vowel merger) · Rhymes with -ɪstəl
Where it comes from
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”).
noun pistols
- A handgun
- The type of handgun with the chamber integral with the barrel. 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.
- 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 pistols · pistoling · pistolling · pistoled · pistolled
- To shoot (at) a target with a pistol.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: handgun, shooting iron, side arm, roscoe, sidearm, gat, gunpoint, firearm, gun, revolver, rifle, shotgun, gunshot, weapon, cannon, petard
Translations
Every language
noun handgun
| Español | pistola, charpe |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 권총 gwonchong, 피스톨 piseutol |
| 日本語 | 拳銃 kenjū, ピストル pisutoru, 手筒 tezutsu, 弾き hajiki |
| 中文 | 手槍 /手枪 shǒuqiāng |
| हिन्दी | बंदूक़ bandūq, बंदूक bandūk, तमंचा tamañcā, पिस्तौल pistaul |
| Kiswahili | bastola |
| Português | pistola |
| Français | pistolet |
| Deutsch | Pistole, Faustfeuerwaffe |
| Italiano | pistola |
| Ελληνικά | πιστόλι pistóli |
| Română | pistol |
| Русский | пистоле́т pistolét, пу́шка púška |
| Tiếng Việt | súng ngắn, súng lục |
| العربية | مُسَدَّس musaddas, فَرْد fard, طَبَنْجَة ṭabanja, غَدَّارَة ḡaddāra |
| עברית | אֶקְדָח ekdákh |
noun the mechanical component of a fuse
| Español | pistola |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | bastola |
| Deutsch | Zündpistole |
noun lively, bright small boy
| Русский | постре́л postrél |
|---|
Talk about this word "pistol." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pistol. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pistol. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pistol "pistol." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pistol.Cite this
@misc{pistol_2026,
title = {pistol},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pistol},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
