pistol

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”),^[1] 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”).^[1]

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɪstəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪstəl
• Homophone: pistil

pistol (plural pistols)

1. A handgun [1570s^[1]]
2. The mechanical component of a fuse in a bomb or torpedo responsible for firing the detonator.
3. A creative and unpredictable jokester, a constant source of entertainment and surprises.
   • 2011, Diane Lierow, Bernie Lierow, Kay West, Dani's Story: A Journey from Neglect to Love‎^[1], page 81:

     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.

   • February 2012, Thomas Pugsley, Denial (episode) in Young Justice (TV series):

     KENT NELSON —Until my wife Inza convinced me there was more to life. Ah, she was a real pistol, that Inza.

   • 2012, Jimmy Correa, How My Prank Stories in ‘You Tube’ Made Me an Overnight Sensation, iUniverse, page 102:

     She features so many dance tunes and is a pistol with her sharp and witty remarks.

4. (Southern US) A small boy who is bright, alert and very active.
5. (American football) 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.

Some shooters differentiate between a "pistol", a semi-automatic handgun with a single, integrated chamber fed by a detachable magazine, and a revolver, which is named after its multiple rotating chambers; however, in common usage, the word pistol is used to refer to any type of handgun.

pistol (third-person singular simple present pistols, present participle pistoling or (more uncommon) pistolling, simple past and past participle pistoled or (more uncommon) pistolled)

1. (transitive) To shoot (at) a target with a pistol.

• derringer
• pistole
• gat
• rod

• “pistol”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “pistol”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

• Pistol offense on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• spoilt, sploit, postil, pilots, potlis, Toplis

• piskot

A minced oath of pisti.

• Hyphenation: pis‧tol

pistol

1. expressing anger, surprise, excitement, etc.

From Middle French pistole or from German Pistole, either from Italian pistola or from Czech píšťala (“whistle”), from Proto-Slavic *piščalь, from *piskati, *piščati (“to squeak, whistle”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *pīṣk-.

• IPA^(key): /pistoːl/, [pʰiˈsd̥oːˀl]
• Rhymes: -oːl

pistol c (singular definite pistolen, plural indefinite pistoler)

1. handgun, pistol

• pistol on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da

From Malay pistol, from Dutch pistool, from German Pistole, from Middle French pistole, from Czech píšťala (“whistle”), from Proto-Slavic *piščalь, from *piskati, *piščati (“to squeak, whistle”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *pīṣk-.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɪstɔl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pis‧tol

pistol (first-person possessive pistolku, second-person possessive pistolmu, third-person possessive pistolnya)

1. a pistol (gun)

• pestol

• “pistol” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

From Dutch pistool. Ultimately from Czech píšťala (“whistle”), from Proto-Slavic *piščalь, from *piskati, *piščati (“to squeak, whistle”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *pīṣk-.

pistol (Jawi spelling ڤيستول, plural pistol-pistol, informal 1st possessive pistolku, 2nd possessive pistolmu, 3rd possessive pistolnya)

1. a pistol (gun, handheld short firearm weapon)

• “pistol” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

From Czech píšťala (“whistle, because of the shape”), via German Pistole.

pistol m (definite singular pistolen, indefinite plural pistoler, definite plural pistolene)

1. a pistol (firearm)
   • 2012, Tatiana de Rosnay, translated by Kirsti Overgaard, Saras nøkkel [Sarah's Key]‎^[2]:

     Langs veggene sto politimenn med dystre ansikter, truende, med hendene på pistolene sine.

     Along the walls policemen stood menacingly with sombre faces, and with hands on their pistols.

• “pistol” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Czech píšťala (“whistle”), via German Pistole.

pistol m (definite singular pistolen, indefinite plural pistolar, definite plural pistolane)

1. a pistol (firearm)

• “pistol” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

From Late Latin epistola, epistula. Compare Middle Dutch pistele, pistel, Middle Low German pistele, Middle High German pistel.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpis.tol/

pistol m

1. (religion, Christianity) letter, epistle
2. (religion, Christianity, biblical) an epistle of the New Testament

• pistolbōc
  • Middle English: pistelboke
• pistolrǣdere
• pistolrǣding
• pistolrocc

• Middle English: pistel, pistle, pistell, pystyll
  • English: pistle
  • Scots: pistil, pistill, pistle

Borrowed from Greek πιστόλι (pistóli).

pistol n (plural pistoale)

1. pistol

Ultimately from Czech píšťala (“whistle”), from Proto-Slavic *piščalь, from *piskati, *piščati (“to squeak, whistle”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *pīṣk-.

• Audio:

  (file)

pistol c

1. a pistol (gun)

   Synonyms: (colloquial) pickadoll, (colloquial) picka, (colloquial) puffra

• revolver