Large firearms that fire multiple pellets at once, used for hunting or sport shooting.
From 'shot' (small pellets fired together) and 'gun.' The term emerged in the 1600s as these weapons became refined, combining the words for the ammunition type and the weapon itself.
Shotguns are less accurate at distance than rifles but deadly at close range because they spray pellets—which is why they're called 'scatter guns' in many other languages.
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