derringer

American  

[der-in-jer] / ˈdɛr ɪn dʒər /

Or deringer

noun

1. an early short-barreled pocket pistol.

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derringer British  

/ ˈdɛrɪndʒə /

noun

1. a short-barrelled pocket pistol of large calibre

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Etymology

Origin of derringer

1850–55, named after Henry Deringer, mid-19th-century American gunsmith who invented it

Example Sentences

I’d walk downtown to Ford’s Theatre and go to the basement museum and see the derringer that John Wilkes Booth used.

From Washington Post • Sep. 5, 2019

They vote, and they are heavily armed, right down to the .22-caliber derringer fired by Nadine Wheeler, 63, a retiree who calls her tiny gun “the best in feminine protection.”

From New York Times • Nov. 4, 2016

If a client wanted him to appraise a notorious weapon for insurance purposes, to be housed in a museum that showcases the horrors of the crime — like the derringer — that’s fine.

From Washington Post • May 14, 2016

Characters wield vintage weaponry including derringer pistols and cutlasses.

From The Guardian • Jul. 26, 2013

In his fist he cradles a derringer, the sort of pint-size pistol favored by ladies and cardsharps.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly