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Q&A What is the origin (etymology) of the word مسدس (pistol)?

In English, "pistol" might primarily mean pretty much any single shot handgun, and only by extension the word my also be used to mean a revolver which can shoot several times, for example six times...

posted 4y ago by Jirka Hanika‭  ·  edited 4y ago by Moshi‭

Answer
#3: Post edited by user avatar Moshi‭ · 2020-10-12T20:16:17Z (about 4 years ago)
  • In English, "pistol" might primarily mean pretty much any single shot handgun, and only by extension the word my also be used to mean a revolver which can shoot several times, for example six times, before reloading.
  • In Arabic, it's the opposite. مُسَدَّس primarily means a "sixshooter", and only by extension, the word can refer to any revolver whatsoever, and even to a pistol which isn't a revolver.
  • The (historical) root of the word is S-D-S, meaning indeed six. You might enjoy seeing how an old cognate word (Akkadian for "six") was written in cuneiform, long before any handguns were available: 𒐋
  • The prefix مُ (this is copy and pasted from the right hand side, therefore from the beginning of مُسَدَّس) has meanings like "he who (does)", "the place which (does)", "the thing which (does)". Therefore مُسَدَّس could be loosely interpreted as "the thing which acts six times". But it means a "sixshooter" or by extension any other pistol.
  • Caveat: I don't speak any Arabic. I have started from here:
  • https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AF%D8%B3#Etymology
  • In English, "pistol" might primarily mean pretty much any single shot handgun, and only by extension the word my also be used to mean a revolver which can shoot several times, for example six times, before reloading.
  • In Arabic, it's the opposite. مُسَدَّس primarily means a "sixshooter", and only by extension, the word can refer to any revolver whatsoever, and even to a pistol which isn't a revolver.
  • The (historical) root of the word is S-D-S, meaning indeed six. You might enjoy seeing how an old cognate word (Akkadian for "six") was written in cuneiform, long before any handguns were available: 𒐋
  • The prefix مُ (this is copy and pasted from the right hand side, therefore from the beginning of مُسَدَّس) has meanings like "he who (does)", "the place which (does)", "the thing which (does)". Therefore مُسَدَّس could be loosely interpreted as "the thing which acts six times". But it means a "sixshooter" or by extension any other pistol.
  • Caveat: I don't speak any Arabic. I have started from here:
  • https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/مسدس#Etymology
#2: Post edited by user avatar Jirka Hanika‭ · 2020-10-07T12:48:26Z (about 4 years ago)
  • In English, "pistol" might primarily mean pretty much any single shot handgun, and only by extension the word my also be used to mean a revolver which can shoot several times, for example six times, before reloading.
  • In Arabic, it's the opposite. مُسَدَّس primarily means a "sixshooter", and only by extension, the word can refer to any revolver whatsoever, and even to a pistol which isn't a revolver.
  • The (historical) root of the word is S-D-S, meaning indeed six. You might enjoy seeing how an old cognate word (Akkadian for "six") was written in cuneiform, long before any handguns were available: 𒐋
  • The prefix مُ (this is copy and pasted from the right hand side, therefore from the beginning of مُسَدَّس) has meanings like "he who (does)", "the place which (does)", "the thing which (does)". Therefore مُسَدَّس could be loosely interpreted as "the thing which acts six times". But it means a "sixshooter" or by extension any other pistol.
  • Caveat: I don't speak any Arabic. I have started here:
  • https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AF%D8%B3#Etymology
  • In English, "pistol" might primarily mean pretty much any single shot handgun, and only by extension the word my also be used to mean a revolver which can shoot several times, for example six times, before reloading.
  • In Arabic, it's the opposite. مُسَدَّس primarily means a "sixshooter", and only by extension, the word can refer to any revolver whatsoever, and even to a pistol which isn't a revolver.
  • The (historical) root of the word is S-D-S, meaning indeed six. You might enjoy seeing how an old cognate word (Akkadian for "six") was written in cuneiform, long before any handguns were available: 𒐋
  • The prefix مُ (this is copy and pasted from the right hand side, therefore from the beginning of مُسَدَّس) has meanings like "he who (does)", "the place which (does)", "the thing which (does)". Therefore مُسَدَّس could be loosely interpreted as "the thing which acts six times". But it means a "sixshooter" or by extension any other pistol.
  • Caveat: I don't speak any Arabic. I have started from here:
  • https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AF%D8%B3#Etymology
#1: Initial revision by user avatar Jirka Hanika‭ · 2020-10-07T12:48:09Z (about 4 years ago)
In English, "pistol" might primarily mean pretty much any single shot handgun, and only by extension the word my also be used to mean a revolver which can shoot several times, for example six times, before reloading.

In Arabic, it's the opposite.  مُسَدَّس primarily means a "sixshooter", and only by extension, the word can refer to any revolver whatsoever, and even to a pistol which isn't a revolver.

The (historical) root of the word is S-D-S, meaning indeed six.  You might enjoy seeing how an old cognate word (Akkadian for "six") was written in cuneiform, long before any handguns were available: 𒐋

The prefix مُ (this is copy and pasted from the right hand side, therefore from the beginning of مُسَدَّس) has meanings like "he who (does)", "the place which (does)", "the thing which (does)".  Therefore مُسَدَّس could be loosely interpreted as "the thing which acts six times".  But it means a "sixshooter" or by extension any other pistol.

Caveat: I don't speak any Arabic.  I have started here:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AF%D8%B3#Etymology