handgun

nounattested in dialogue

United States//ˈhændˌɡʌn//

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

noun

1
A small gun with a relatively short barrel, designed to be held and operated with a single hand.
Petric used his father's key to open a lockbox and remove a 9mm handgun and the game.
A related design and marketing innovation has been the sale to civilians of “vest busters,” handguns specifically designed to penetrate body armor.

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.

Forms

plural: handguns

handcuffs · A fastening consisting of two metal rings, designed to go…handed · Having a certain kind or number of hands.handful · The amount that a hand will grasp or contain.

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

handicap · Something that prevents, hampers, or hinders.handicapped · Having a handicap.handing · The act by which something is handed to somebody.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.