Dictionary

handgonne en · NOUN

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Middle English handgonne. Doublet of handgun.

Meanings

1. (historical) A handheld pre-matchlock black-powder gun.
   • mere dry-as-dust knowledge of how Cæsar invaded Gaul, or Hannibal Italy, is about as useful as a knowledge of the "handgonne" would be for working a 12-pounder breech-loader. 1894, W. H. James, Modern Strategy:
   • It is not known exactly when handheld black-powder weapons were first used, nor when the handgonne was later replaced by the matchlock. 2010, Sean McLachlan, Medieval Handgonnes, Osprey Publishing, page 4:

Forms