The Collaborative International Dictionary
Pistol \Pis"tol\, n. [F. pistole, pistolet, It. pistola; prob. from a form Pistola, for Pistoja, a town in Italy where pistols were first made. Cf. Pistole.] 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. Pistol carbine, a firearm with a removable but-piece, and thus capable of being used either as a pistol or a carbine. Pistol pipe (Metal.), 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.
Usage examples of "pistol shot".
The man dug deep, got his fingers hooked, and wrenched upward, and the plate of ice cracked like a pistol shot and slid away.
I'm a lousy pistol shot at the best of times and even worse when shooting left-handed.
An abrupt shout and the thunderous sound of a pistol shot, caught by the interior walls, thrown back upon itself, echoing down the narrow corridors, expanding.
And finally he threw me out into the world without a cent and no training whatsoever to be anything but a Charleston gentleman, a good pistol shot and an excellent poker player.
He had confidence in his own speed, as a rider, as a runner, and as a pistol shot.
He was not an especially good pistol shot, but he was so fast it fooled people, scaring many of them into firing wildly, or doing something else dumb, that would cause them to lose the fight.
Those that survived and grew up told the story all across the West, so there was hardly a man from the Mexican border to Canada who hadn't heard what a dead pistol shot Jake Spoon was, though any man who had fought with him through the years would know he was no shot at all with a pistol and only a fair shot with a rifle.
They were a very long way away for an accurate pistol shot by night, but I took a long steady careful aim and tried anyway.