bull-pup

Noun

bullpup (plural bullpups)

1. (dated) A bullpuppy, a bulldog puppy (of either sex).
   • He sees thou art the best man for the swamp; that thy scent is keen with the bloodhound, thine eye like the hawk's, and thou art quick for fight as the colonel's bullpup.1835, William Gilmore Simms, The Partisan: A Tale of the Revolution
2. (US, obsolete) A handgun smaller than a bulldog.
   • He brought with him the holsters of his young master, wrapped up in the fragment of a blanket. “I tink, Mass Willie,” said he, “dat you better hab dese little bullpups yer, onder you own han'. Dere's no telling how soon you may want 'em. De swode is good 'nough, when you hab dem tory in chopping...1855, William Gilmore Simms, The Forayers
3. A firearm configuration in which the trigger is located forward of the magazine and breech, as opposed to a conventional configuration in which the trigger is located rear of the magazine and breech.