From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpistolpis‧tol /ˈpɪstl/ ●●○ noun [countable] PMWa small gun you can use with one hand → handgun, revolver
Examples from the Corpus
pistol• The top right-hand drawer of the desk contained the traditional little tin box and a pistol.• When the shopkeeper asks for his money, he takes a pistol out of his pocket and gives it to him.• First, the appalling Beria had been arrested at pistol point in the Kremlin and executed as privily as his victims.• Rifles, bayonets, pistols, haversacks, cartridge-boxes, canteens, blankets, belts, and overcoats lined the road.• When the statement had been issued, Mr Telford allowed his pistol to be hauled up on a rope.• Jack kept his arm at his side, pistol down, watching the cat squeal and squirm upside down on the fork.• They hung on the Sergeant's every word, handled the pistols with reverence; their concentration was intense.• Quickly loading the Very pistol with the red cartridge, Larsen aimed it at the open skylight and pulled the trigger.Origin pistol (1500-1600) French pistole, from German, from Czech pital “pipe” 