pistol
Use Pistol in a sentence
pis·tol
[pis-tl] noun, verb, pis·toled, pis·tol·ing or ( especially British ) pis·tolled, pis·tol·ling. 
tl noun
1.
a short firearm intended to be held and fired with one hand.
verb (used with object)
2.
to shoot with a pistol.
Origin:
1560–70; < Middle French pistole < German, earlier pitschal, pitschole, petsole < Czech píšt’ala literally, pipe, fife, whistle (presumably a slang term for a type of light harquebus employed during the Hussite wars), akin to pištět to squeak, peep
1560–70; < Middle French pistole < German, earlier pitschal, pitschole, petsole < Czech píšt’ala literally, pipe, fife, whistle (presumably a slang term for a type of light harquebus employed during the Hussite wars), akin to pištět to squeak, peep
Related forms
pis·tol·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Pistol
00:10
Pistol
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to bark; yelp. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
pistol (ˈpɪstəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | 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, -tolled, -tols, -toling, -toled | |
| 3. | (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 & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
pistol
"small hand-held firearm," c.1570, from M.Fr. pistole "short firearm" (1566), of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be from Ger. Pistole, from Czech pis'tala "firearm," lit. "tube, pipe," from pisteti "to whistle," of imitative origin, related to Rus. pischal "shepherd's pipe." But earlier form pistolet
(1550) is from M.Fr. pistolet "a small firearm," also "a small dagger," which may be the literal sense; though some connect this word with It. pistolese, in reference to Pistoia, town in Tuscany noted for gunsmithing. Pistol-whip is first recorded 1942.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
pistol definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
pistol definition
[IBM] A tool that makes it all too easy for you to shoot yourself in the foot. "Unix "rm *" makes such a nice pistol!"
[Jargon File]
Example sentences
Carrying of pistol or revolver without permit prohibited.
Centerfire pistol, revolver or rifle using expanding-type bullets.
He was also, by the way, a good shot with rifle or pistol.
He wanted a sweet concealed carry piece, but there was not a single full-power pocket pistol on the market.
Image for Pistol
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