 1570 — when early handguns were produced in Europe — and derives from the Middle French "pistolet" (ca.1550), meaning a small gun/knife.In colloquial usage, the word "pistol" is often used to describe any types of handgun, inclusive of revolvers (which have a single barrel and a separate cylinder housing multiple chambers) and the pocket-sized derringers (which nowadays are often multi-barrelled).