pistol
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to pistol: Glock
pistol
a small hand-held firearm
Not to be confused with:
pistil – the female organs of a flower consisting of the stigma, style, and ovary
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
pis·tol
(pĭs′təl)n.
1. A handgun, especially one that is not a revolver.
2. Slang A rowdy or rambunctious person, especially a child.
tr.v. pis·toled, pis·tol·ing, pis·tols
To shoot with a pistol.
[French pistole, from German, from Middle High German pischulle, from Czech píšt'ala, pipe, whistle, firearm, from pištěti, to whistle, of imitative origin.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pistol
(ˈpɪstəl)n
1. (Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) a short-barrelled handgun
2. hold a pistol to a person's head to threaten a person in order to force him to do what one wants
vb, -tols, -tolling or -tolled, -tols, -toling or -toled
(Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) (tr) to shoot with a pistol
[C16: from French pistole, from German, from Czech pišt'ala pistol, pipe; related to Russian pischal shepherd's pipes]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pis•tol
(ˈpɪs tl)n., v. -toled, -tol•ing (esp. Brit.) -tolled, -tol•ling. n.
1. a short firearm intended to be held and fired with one hand.
v.t. 2. to shoot with a pistol.
[1560–70; < Middle French pistole < German, earlier pitschal, pitschole, petsole < Czech píšt'ala literally, pipe, fife, whistle (presumably a colloquial term for a type of light harquebus employed during the Hussite wars), akin to pištět to squeak, peep]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
pistol
- Derives from a Czechoslovakian word meaning "whistle," and evolved into the name of the firearm because of a resemblance in shape.See also related terms for whistle.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
pistol
Past participle: pistolled
Gerund: pistolling
| Imperative |
|---|
| pistol |
| pistol |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  pistol - a firearm that is held and fired with one handautomatic pistol, automatic - a pistol that will keep firing until the ammunition is gone or the trigger is released derringer - a pocket pistol of large caliber with a short barrel forty-five - a .45-caliber pistol horse pistol, horse-pistol - a large pistol (usually in a holster) formerly carried by horsemen peacekeeper - the pistol of a law officer in the old West revolver, six-gun, six-shooter - a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets) Saturday night special - a cheap handgun that is easily obtained semiautomatic, semiautomatic pistol - a pistol that is a semiautomatic firearm capable of loading and firing continuously gunstock, stock - the handle of a handgun or the butt end of a rifle or shotgun or part of the support of a machine gun or artillery gun; "the rifle had been fitted with a special stock" Verey pistol, Very pistol - a pistol for firing Very-light flares zip gun - a crude homemade pistol |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
pistol
noun handgun, shooter, piece (U.S. & Canad. informal), automatic, revolver, side arm an unidentified person armed with a pistol
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
pistole
pistol
pistooli
pištolj
pisztoly
skammbyssa
ピストル
권총
pistoletas
pistole
pištoľ
pištola
pistol
ปืน
súng lục
pistol
[ˈpɪstl]Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
pistol
[ˈpɪstəl] n → pistolet mto hold a pistol to sb's head (fig) → mettre le couteau sous la gorge de qn pistol shotpistol shot n → coup m de pistolet
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
pistol
n → Pistole f; pistol shot → Pistolenschuss m; (= person) → Pistolenschütze m → /-schützin f; to hold a pistol to somebody’s head (fig) → jdm die Pistole auf die Brust setzen; pistol-grip camera → Kamera f → mit Handgriff
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
pistol
(ˈpistl) noun a small gun, held in one hand when fired. He shot himself with a pistol.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
pistol
→ مُسَدَس pistole pistol Pistole πιστόλι revólver pistooli pistolet pištolj pistola ピストル 권총 pistool pistol pistolet pistola пистолет pistol ปืน kısa kabzalı tabanca súng lục 手枪Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009