Etymologically
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handgun

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 22:34. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • US: /ˈhændˌɡʌn/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English handgunne,[2][3] formed from Middle English hand + gunne,[2][4][5][6] that is, a gun held in the hand.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Any firearm carried in the hand, such as a musket or harquebus, as opposed to a cannon: 1411, in the Exchequer accounts.[4][7] Etymonline dates it to the mid 14th century, of unmounted firearms,[6] and Dictionary.com to 1400–50.[8]

Semantic evolution

At first the word set the small firearm a soldier could carry, with or without a rest, against the great guns of artillery.[4][5] Later it narrowed to a gun held and fired with one hand only, such as a pistol or revolver;[4][5][2] Etymonline dates this modern use, "a pistol", to the 1930s, in American English.[6] The person using one was a handgunner from the mid 16th century.[5]

Timeline

  • 1411 – a firearm carried in the hand, as opposed to a cannon.[4][7]
  • 1930s – a pistol, in American English.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A firearm that is held and fired with one hand, such as a pistol or revolver: The guard carried a handgun on his belt.[9][2][4]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ Gove, Philip Babcock, ed. (1961), Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  8. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins