Gun.

Gin \Gin\ (g[i^]n), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Gan} (g[a^]n), {Gon}
   (g[o^]n), or {Gun} (g[u^]n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Ginning}.] [OE.
   ginnen, AS. ginnan (in comp.), prob. orig., to open, cut
   open, cf. OHG. inginnan to begin, open, cut open, and prob.
   akin to AS. g[imac]nan to yawn, and E. yawn. [root]31. See
   {Yawn}, v. i., and cf. {Begin}.]
   To begin; -- often followed by an infinitive without to; as,
   gan tell. See {Gan}. [Obs. or Archaic] "He gan to pray."
   --Chaucer.
   [1913 Webster]
    

Gun \Gun\ (g[u^]n), n. [OE. gonne, gunne; of uncertain origin;
   cf. Ir., Gael., & LL. gunna, W. gum; possibly (like cannon)
   fr. L. canna reed, tube; or abbreviated fr. OF. mangonnel, E.
   mangonel, a machine for hurling stones.]
   1. A weapon which throws or propels a missile to a distance;
      any firearm or instrument for throwing projectiles,
      consisting of a tube or barrel closed at one end, in which
      the projectile is placed, with an explosive charge (such
      as guncotton or gunpowder) behind, which is ignited by
      various means. Pistols, rifles, carbines, muskets, and
      fowling pieces are smaller guns, for hand use, and are
      called {small arms}. Larger guns are called {cannon},
      {ordnance}, {fieldpieces}, {carronades}, {howitzers}, etc.
      See these terms in the Vocabulary.
      [1913 Webster]

            As swift as a pellet out of a gunne
            When fire is in the powder runne.     --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

            The word gun was in use in England for an engine to
            cast a thing from a man long before there was any
            gunpowder found out.                  --Selden.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Mil.) A piece of heavy ordnance; in a restricted sense, a
      cannon.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. pl. (Naut.) Violent blasts of wind.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: Guns are classified, according to their construction or
         manner of loading as {rifled} or {smoothbore},
         {breech-loading} or {muzzle-loading}, {cast} or
         {built-up guns}; or according to their use, as {field},
         {mountain}, {prairie}, {seacoast}, and {siege guns}.
         [1913 Webster]

   {Armstrong gun}, a wrought iron breech-loading cannon named
      after its English inventor, Sir William Armstrong.

   {Big gun} or {Great gun}, a piece of heavy ordnance; hence
      (Fig.), a person superior in any way; as, bring in the big
      guns to tackle the problem.

   {Gun barrel}, the barrel or tube of a gun.

   {Gun carriage}, the carriage on which a gun is mounted or
      moved.

   {Gun cotton} (Chem.), a general name for a series of
      explosive nitric ethers of cellulose, obtained by steeping
      cotton in nitric and sulphuric acids. Although there are
      formed substances containing nitric acid radicals, yet the
      results exactly resemble ordinary cotton in appearance. It
      burns without ash, with explosion if confined, but quietly
      and harmlessly if free and open, and in small quantity.
      Specifically, the lower nitrates of cellulose which are
      insoluble in ether and alcohol in distinction from the
      highest (pyroxylin) which is soluble. See {Pyroxylin}, and
      cf. {Xyloidin}. The gun cottons are used for blasting and
      somewhat in gunnery: for making celluloid when compounded
      with camphor; and the soluble variety (pyroxylin) for
      making collodion. See {Celluloid}, and {Collodion}. Gun
      cotton is frequenty but improperly called
      {nitrocellulose}. It is not a nitro compound, but an ester
      of nitric acid.

   {Gun deck}. See under {Deck}.

   {Gun fire}, the time at which the morning or the evening gun
      is fired.

   {Gun metal}, a bronze, ordinarily composed of nine parts of
      copper and one of tin, used for cannon, etc. The name is
      also given to certain strong mixtures of cast iron.

   {Gun port} (Naut.), an opening in a ship through which a
      cannon's muzzle is run out for firing.

   {Gun tackle} (Naut.), the blocks and pulleys affixed to the
      side of a ship, by which a gun carriage is run to and from
      the gun port.

   {Gun tackle purchase} (Naut.), a tackle composed of two
      single blocks and a fall. --Totten.

   {Krupp gun}, a wrought steel breech-loading cannon, named
      after its German inventor, Herr Krupp.

   {Machine gun}, a breech-loading gun or a group of such guns,
      mounted on a carriage or other holder, and having a
      reservoir containing cartridges which are loaded into the
      gun or guns and fired in rapid succession. In earlier
      models, such as the {Gatling gun}, the cartridges were
      loaded by machinery operated by turning a crank. In modern
      versions the loading of cartidges is accomplished by
      levers operated by the recoil of the explosion driving the
      bullet, or by the pressure of gas within the barrel.
      Several hundred shots can be fired in a minute by such
      weapons, with accurate aim. The {Gatling gun}, {Gardner
      gun}, {Hotchkiss gun}, and {Nordenfelt gun}, named for
      their inventors, and the French {mitrailleuse}, are
      machine guns.

   {To blow great guns} (Naut.), to blow a gale. See {Gun}, n.,
      3.
      [1913 Webster +PJC]
    

Gun \Gun\, v. i.
   To practice fowling or hunting small game; -- chiefly in
   participial form; as, to go gunning.
    

334 Moby Thesaurus words for "gun":
      AA gun, Armstrong, BAR, BB gun, Benet-Mercie, Beretta, Big Bertha,
      Bren, Bren gun, Browning, Cain, Colt, Garand, Garand rifle,
      Garling, Gatling, Gatling gun, Hotchkiss, Krupp, Lancaster,
      Lee-Enfield, Lee-Metford, Lewis, Lewis gun, Long Tom, Luger,
      Mannlicher, Marlin, Martini-Henry, Mauser, Maxim, Minie, Mossberg,
      Nimrod, Oerlikon, Paixhans, Parrott, Remington, Savage,
      Smith and Wesson, Snider, Spandau, Springfield, Stevens,
      Thompson submachine gun, Vickers, Vickers-Maxim, Webley-Scott,
      Winchester, Y-gun, adventurer, air gun, antiaircraft gun,
      antitank gun, antitank rifle, apache, archer, arquebus, arrest,
      artillerist, artilleryman, assassin, assassinator, atom gun,
      atomic cannon, atomic gun, automatic, automatic pistol, barrel,
      bazooka, beat, bell, bloodletter, bloodshedder, blowgun, blowpipe,
      blunderbuss, bolt, bolt-action rifle, bomb thrower, bombard,
      bombardier, bomber, bowman, bowshot, bravo, breech, breechloader,
      brown Bess, bruiser, bulldog, bullet, burker, burp gun, butcher,
      butt, button man, caliver, cane gun, cannibal, cannon, cannoneer,
      carabineer, carbine, carronade, chamber, charge, chase, chassepot,
      check, checkmate, cock, condottiere, course, crack shot, culverin,
      cutoff, cutthroat, cylinder, dart gun, dead shot, dead stop,
      deadeye, deadlock, desperado, detonate, detonation, discharge, dog,
      drive, drop, eject, ejection, end, endgame, ending, eradicator,
      escopeta, executioner, exterminator, falcon, falconet, fell,
      field gun, fieldpiece, final whistle, fire, fire off, firearm,
      firelock, flamethrower, flintlock, flush, follow the hounds,
      forty-five, forty-four, fowl, fowling piece, free lance, full stop,
      fusil, fusillade, garroter, gat, go hunting, good shot, goon,
      gorilla, grinding halt, gun carriage, gun for, gunfire, gunman,
      gunner, gunsel, gunshot, gunslinger, hackbut, halt, hammer,
      handgun, harpoon gun, harquebus, hatchet man, hawk, head-hunter,
      heater, hedgehog, hellion, hired gun, hired killer, hireling, hit,
      hit man, holy terror, homicidal maniac, homicide, hood, hoodlum,
      hooligan, horse pistol, hound, howitzer, hunt, hunt down, hunter,
      jack, jacklight, killer, let fly, let off, load, lock, lockout,
      machine gun, machine gunner, machine pistol, magazine, man-eater,
      man-killer, manslayer, marksman, markswoman, massacrer, matador,
      matchlock, mercenary, mortar, mountain gun, mug, mugger, murderer,
      muscle man, musket, musketeer, musketoon, muzzle, muzzle-loader,
      needle gun, peashooter, pedrero, pelt, pepper, pesticide, petronel,
      pick off, piece, pistol, plug, plug-ugly, poison, poisoner,
      pom-pom, popgun, pot, potshoot, potshot, prime,
      professional killer, prowl after, receiver, repeater, revolver,
      riddle, ride to hounds, rifle, rifleman, rod, rodman, roughneck,
      run, salvo, sawed-off shotgun, sear, semiautomatic, sharpshooter,
      shikar, shoot, shoot at, shoot down, shooter, shooting iron, shot,
      shotgun, sight, sit-down strike, six-gun, six-shooter, skysweeper,
      slaughterer, slayer, snipe, sniper, soldier of fortune, sport,
      spray, stalemate, stalk, stand, standoff, standstill, start, stay,
      still-hunt, stock, stoneshot, stop, stoppage, strangler, strike,
      strong-arm man, submachine gun, swivel, take a potshot,
      targetshooter, tattoo, terror, thirty-thirty, thirty-two, thug,
      torpedo, tough, toxophilite, track, trail, trapshooter, trigger,
      trigger man, ugly customer, volley, walkout, wind-gun,
      work stoppage, zip gun