derringer
UK/ˈdɛɹɪndʒə(ɹ)/
derringer noun: a type of very small, concealable pistol with one or two barrels but without any loading system or magazine.
Noun (1)
derringer (plural derringers)
- A type of very small, concealable pistol with one or two barrels but without any loading system or magazine.
- “Afraid? Oh no! they never interfere with me. […] And look here,” and diving her little hand into the bodice of her dress she produced a double-barrelled nickel-plated Derringer, “I always carry that loaded, and if anybody tried to touch me I should shoot him[…]”1887, H[enry] Rider Haggard, chapter IV, in Allan Quatermain […], London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC
Proper noun capitalized: Derringer
Derringer (plural Derringers)
- A surname from German.
Noun (2) capitalized: Derringer
Derringer (plural Derringers)
- Alternative form of derringer (“pistol”).
Forms of derringer
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | derringers |
| alternative form | deringer |
| alternative form | Deringer |
| alternative form | Derringer |
| plural | Derringers |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Derringers |
Origin of derringer
Named after American gunsmith Henry Deringer (1786–1868).
Variant of Deringer.
Questions about derringer
- What does derringer mean?
- Derringer means a type of very small, concealable pistol with one or two barrels but without any loading system or magazine.
- What part of speech is derringer?
- Derringer can be a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce derringer?
- Derringer is pronounced /ˈdɛɹɪndʒə(ɹ)/ (UK).
- What is the plural of derringer?
- The plural of derringer is derringers.
Words near derringer in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: derringer (page history and authors); Derringer (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “derringer.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/derringer. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.