handgonne

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Learned borrowing from Middle English handgonne. Doublet of handgun.

Noun[edit]

handgonne (plural handgonnes)

  1. (historical) A handheld pre-matchlock black-powder gun.
    • 1894, W. H. James, Modern Strategy:
      mere dry-as-dust knowledge of how Cæsar invaded Gaul, or Hannibal Italy, is about as useful as a knowledge of the "handgonne" would be for working a 12-pounder breech-loader.
    • 2010, Sean McLachlan, Medieval Handgonnes, Osprey Publishing, page 4:
      It is not known exactly when handheld black-powder weapons were first used, nor when the handgonne was later replaced by the matchlock.
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