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gun

Pronunciation: /ˈɡʌn/

The English word “gun” has 20 meanings listed here.

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.
  7. Any implement designed to fire a projectile from a tube.
  8. A device or tool that projects a substance.
  9. A device or tool that applies something rather than projecting it.
  10. 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).
  11. A pattern that "fires" out other patterns.
  12. A person who carries or uses a gun (rifle, shotgun or handgun), particularly with reference to how quickly the person can draw and fire the gun.
  13. An electron gun.
  14. The biceps.
  15. Violent blasts of wind.
  16. Someone excellent, surpassingly wonderful, skilful, or cool.

verb

  1. To shoot with a gun.
  2. To cause to speed up.
  3. To offer vigorous support to (a person or cause).
  4. To strongly desire or seek, and make a great effort to obtain (something which one is 'gunning for' or 'gunning to do').

Etymology

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".

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.