pistol
/ˈpɪstəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.93 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A handgun
noun
A handgun
noun
The mechanical component of a fuse in a bomb or torpedo responsible for firing the detonator.
noun
A lively, high-energy person.
noun
An offensive formation in which the quarterback receives the snap at a distance behind the center, but closer than in a shotgun formation, with a running back lined up behind him.
Example Sentences
- "She leveled her pistol at the target."
- "She was gregarious, opinionated, and in charge, the kind of person you'd describe as a real pistol, and I was immediately drawn to her."
- "KENT NELSON —Until my wife Inza convinced me there was more to life. Ah, she was a real pistol, that Inza."
- "She features so many dance tunes and is a pistol with her sharp and witty remarks."
Etymology
Probably from Middle French pistole, or via Middle English pistolet, from Middle French pistolet (“small firearm or small dagger”). The origin is unclear. If via German to Romance probably from Middle High German forms like pischulle from Czech píšťala (“firearm”, literally “tube, pipe”), from Proto-Slavic *piščalь, from *piskati, *piščati (“to squeak, whistle”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *pīṣk-. Alternatively, if from Romance to German, from or related to Italian pistolese (“short dagger”), from Italian Pistoia (“a Tuscan town noted for its gunsmithing”).