gun

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A device for shooting projectiles or ditto (a shooter), functioning through stored energy: a firearm, cannon, harpoon gun/spear gun, raygun, etc, not a bow and arrow, or slingshot.
  2. A very portable, short firearm, for hand use, which fires bullets or projectiles, such as a handgun, revolver, pistol, or Derringer.
  3. A less portable, long firearm that fires bullets or projectiles; a rifle, either manual, automatic or semi-automatic; a flintlock, musket or shotgun.
  4. A cannon with relatively long barrel, operating with relatively low angle of fire, and having a high muzzle velocity.
  5. A cannon with a 6-inch/155mm minimum nominal bore diameter and tube length 30 calibers or more.
  6. A firearm or cannon used for saluting or signalling.^(21-gun salute)
  7. A device operated by a trigger and acting in a manner similar to a firearm.
  8. Any implement designed to fire a projectile from a tube.
  9. A device or tool that projects a substance.
  10. A device or tool that applies something rather than projecting it.
  11. A long surfboard designed for surfing big waves (not the same as a longboard, a gun has a pointed nose and is generally a little narrower).
  12. A pattern that "fires" out other patterns.
verb
  1. To shoot with a gun.
  2. To cause to speed up.
  3. To offer vigorous support to (a person or cause).
  4. (gunning for something or gunning to do something) make a great effort.
  5. To seek to attack someone; to take aim at someone; used with for.
  6. To practice fowling or hunting small game; chiefly in participial form: to go gunning.
  7. Synonym of gun down (“to masturbate while making sustained eye contact with someone — typically a female prison officer — as a form of intimidation”).
noun
  1. A magsman or street thief.
verb
  1. Nonstandard spelling of going to.
name
  1. A Gbe language spoken in parts of Benin and Nigeria.

Pronunciation

gŭn /ˈɡʌn/ /ˈɡɜn/ en-us-gun.ogg /ɡʊn/

Word forms

gun guns gunning gunned

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰéntis Proto-Germanic *gunþiz Old Norse gunnrder. Middle English gunne English gun From Middle English gunne, gonne, possibly from Gunnhild, a female given name formerly used as a nickname for engines of war (compare Nordic Gunn, a female name meaning “battle”). The name is composed of the Norse elements gunnr and hildr, both meaning "battle".

Translations

French: flingue Norwegian: børse Polish: strzelba Swedish: bössa
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.