handgun

English

a handgun with magazine and ammunition

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *handuz

Proto-West Germanic *handu

Old English hand

Middle English hond

English hand

Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen-

Proto-Indo-European *-tis

Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰéntis

Proto-Germanic *gunþiz

Old Norse gunnr

Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂-der.

Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂tís

Proto-Germanic *hildiz

Old Norse hildr

Old Norse Gunnhildrder.

Middle English gunne

English gun

English handgun

From hand + gun.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhændˌɡʌn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

handgun (plural handguns)

2. A small gun with a relatively short barrel, designed to be held and operated with a single hand.

   Synonyms: pistol (broadly synonymous); (slang terms) burner, heater, gat

   Hypernyms: firearm < gun < ranged weapon < weapon

   Hyponyms: pistol (precisely hyponymous), semiauto, revolver, wheelgun, derringer

   Coordinate terms: rifle, long gun; air gun; see also Thesaurus:firearm

   • 2009 January 13, M. R. Kropko, “Video-game addiction rejected as defence”, in Toronto Star‎^[1]:

     Petric used his father's key to open a lockbox and remove a 9mm handgun and the game.

   • 2013, Tom Diaz, The Last Gun: How Changes in the Gun Industry are Killing Americans and what it Will Take to Stop it, page 166:

     A related design and marketing innovation has been the sale to civilians of “vest busters,” handguns specifically designed to penetrate body armor.

Derived terms

• antihandgun

Translations

small, hand-held gun — see also pistol

• Arabic: مُسَدَّس m (musaddas), فَرْد (ar) m (fard)

  Moroccan Arabic: كابوس m (kābūs), فردي m (fardi)

• Armenian: ատրճանակ (hy) (atrčanak)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 短槍 / 短枪 (zh) (duǎnqiāng), 手槍 / 手枪 (zh) (shǒuqiāng)

• Danish: pistol (da) c, håndskydevåben n
• Dutch: vuistvuurwapen (nl) n
• Estonian: püstol, käsirelv
• Finnish: käsiase (fi), käsituliase (fi)
• French: arme de poing (fr) f pistolet (fr) m, revolver (fr) m
• Georgian: დამბაჩა (ka) (dambača), პისტოლეტი (ṗisṭoleṭi)
• German: Kurzwaffe f, Pistole (de) f, Revolver (de) m, Meuchelpuffer (de) m
• Greek: πιστόλι (el) n (pistóli), (revolver) περίστροφο (el) n (perístrofo)
• Hebrew: אקדח (he) m (ekdakh)
• Hungarian: kézifegyver (hu)
• Indonesian: beceng (id), senpi tangan (literally “hand firearm”)
• Ingrian: pistoletti
• Japanese: 拳銃 (ja) (kenjū)
• Persian: تپانچه (fa) (tapânče)
• Portuguese: arma de fogo curta f, revólver (pt) m
• Russian: пистоле́т (ru) m (pistolét)
• Spanish: arma corta f
• Tibetan: ལག་མདའ (lag mda')
• Welsh: llawddryll (cy) m

Anagrams

• gunhand