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A ballista (a large missile-thrower in the form of a crossbow) that defended Windsor Castle in the 14th century was named in Latin Domina Gunilda, or “Lady Gunilda.” Gunilda is an Old Norse name and is a compound of gunnr and hildr, both words meaning “battle.” The English may have learned the name from early Norsemen who knew its etymological significance, or its use by the English may have been a coincidence. However, the use of this name for the Windsor ballista was not an isolated incident. Gonnylyde was the name of a cannon in a 14th century song. Our word gun, which also traces back to the 14th century, is probably a shortening of Gunilda.
Synonyms
Examples of gun in a Sentence
USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Another classmate, Cadence Byrd, 15, said gun violence in Kansas City schools and across the city has to stop.
—Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Thirty-four states bar teachers and the general public from carrying guns in K-12 schools, according to data from Everytown for Gun Safety.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
That inherent drive, which made Megan a Hip-Hop darling, a three-time Grammy winner, and shot her to the top of the charts, took a sharp dive after the Summer 2020 gun violence incident that not only left her injured but ridiculed online and harshly judged by some of her industry peers.
—Rivea Ruff, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024
As teenagers across the country organized to protest gun violence in the wake of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shootings, Zion teamed up with them.
—Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Following the incident, the two victims faced false charges for months, according to the DOJ, stemming from the officers' plan to cover up their actions by tampering with and planting evidence, including drugs and a gun.
—Deena Zaru, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Another school employee later asked Parker for permission to search the child for the gun, but Parker allegedly stopped them, per the lawsuit.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
In September 2023, Dorsey was released after serving 12 years of a 14-year sentence after pleading guilty to federal weapons charges; he was arrested in 2009 along with two others when police stopped him in New Orleans and found three guns and a loaded magazine in the car.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2024
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2024
Thompson kept gunning in the second half — until his services were no longer required in the fourth.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
Purdue will be gunning for its first national championship while UConn will be going for their sixth.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
The two hope their trial comes first, but apparently suspect MJJ Productions is gunning for the opposite.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
The Sockers are gunning for their 17th indoor soccer title and first since 2022.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024
Marco’s won’t gun for the spendier upper-tier market.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2024
Her first album since 2020’s Positions, Eternal Sunshine is gunning for a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 15 Mar. 2024
This gives Pittsburgh more hope for the victory than if Baltimore was gunning for its own playoff spot.
—Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gun
Cite this Entry
“Gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gun. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gun
1 of 2 noungun
2 of 2 verb
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