1937, "gunman, gangster," in a Spanish or Spanish-American context, from Spanish, so called from the name of the weapon (compare pistolier).
also pistoleer, "one who uses a pistol, soldier armed with a pistol," 1570s from obsolete French pistolier, from pistole (see pistol).
updated on June 24, 2020
英语词源词典收录了45867条英语词源词条，基本涵盖了全部常用英语词汇的起源、历史，是研究英语词汇或通过词源学英语的必备工具。