Lexic.us

Definition of Pistol

1. Noun. A firearm that is held and fired with one hand.

Definition of Pistol

1. n. The smallest firearm used, intended to be fired from one hand, -- now of many patterns, and bearing a great variety of names. See Illust. of Revolver.

2. v. t. To shoot with a pistol.

Definition of Pistol

1. Noun. A handgun, (non-gloss definition typically) with a chamber integrated in the barrel, a semi-automatic action and a box magazine. ¹

2. Noun. The mechanical component of a fuse in a bomb or torpedo responsible for firing the detonator. ¹

3. Noun. (context: Shakespeare) A creative and unpredictable jokester, a constant source of entertainment and surprises. ¹

4. Noun. (Southern US) A small boy who is bright, alert and very active. ¹

5. Noun. (American football) A play formation in which the quarterback is a few feet behind the center when the ball is snapped, but closer than in a shotgun formation, with a running back a few feet behind him. ¹

6. Verb. (transitive) To shoot (at) a target with a pistol. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Pistol

1. to shoot with a small firearm [v -TOLED, -TOLING, -TOLS or -TOLLED, -TOLLING, -TOLS]

Medical Definition of Pistol

1. The smallest firearm used, intended to be fired from one hand, now of many patterns, and bearing a great variety of names. Pistol carbine, a firearm with a removable but-piece, and thus capable of being used either as a pistol or a carbine. Pistol pipe, a pipe in which the blast for a furnace is heated, resembling a pistol in form. Pistol shot. The discharge of a pistol. The distance to which a pistol can propel a ball. Origin: F. Pistole, pistolet, It. Pistola; prob. From a form Pistola, for Pistoja, a town in Italy where pistols were first made. Cf. Pistole. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Pistol

Literary usage of Pistol

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. South Eastern Reporter by West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, West Publishing Company, South Carolina Supreme Court (1921)
"A charge that no one has the right to shoot a human being with a pistol unless the act is justified or excused by some rule of law held not erroneous as an ..."

2. The History of the French Revolution by Adolphe Thiers, Frederic Shoberl (1844)
"When, on the night of the 27th of July, he found himself abandoned by his friends, he discharged a pistol in his mouth, and, at the same time, ..."

3. The History of the French Revolution by Adolphe Thiers, Frederic Shoberl (1866)
"It is generally supposed that he attempted to shoot himself by discharging a pistol into his mouth, which, however, only fractured the lower left jaw, ..."

4. The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, and Literature for by Edmund Burke (1830)
"The pistol was concealed so near to the barrack wall, that a person might ... On examining the pistol, and putting in a piece of tow, it came out very black ..."

5. The Encyclopaedia Britannica: “a” Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature edited by Hugh Chisholm (1911)
"An у bolt, whose length lies half across the palm d ensures certainty of freedom at the time of s the action until the pistol is firmly gripped g pistols. ..."

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