Handfeuerwaffe

German

Etymology

Hand (“hand”) +‎ Feuerwaffe (“firearm”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈhantˌfɔʏ̯ɐˌvafə]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Hand‧feu‧er‧waf‧fe

Noun

Handfeuerwaffe f (genitive Handfeuerwaffe, plural Handfeuerwaffen)

1. a gun that can be carried and operated using just the hands, like a pistol or a rifle

Usage notes

• The word is a false friend of English handgun (“gun that can be held in a single hand”). The German term for this is Faustfeuerwaffe (literally “fist firearm”).

Further reading

• “Handfeuerwaffe” in Duden online