A gun is a weapon that shoots bullets or other projectiles using explosive force or compressed gas. Guns range from small handguns to large cannons.
From Middle English “gunne,” originally a female name given to large cannons, possibly from Old Norse “Gunnr,” a Valkyrie name meaning “war.” Over time it became the general word for firearms.
Early cannons were sometimes given personal names, and “Gunnhildr” or similar may have been shortened to “gun.” A word that may have started as a woman’s name now labels one of humanity’s most powerful tools and threats.
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