Phrase guide

organ gun

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɔːɡ(ə)n ˈɡʌn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˌɔɹɡ(ə)n ˈɡʌn/
  • rhymes with -ʌn

1

noun

Meaning 1

A large, portable firearm normally supported by wheels, in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession; it was chiefly used from the 14th to the 17th century.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Topics: engineering, firearms, government, military, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, politics, tools, war, weaponry

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: infernal machine, mitrailleur, rabauld, ribauldequin, ribaudkin, ribault

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From organ + gun. The multiple barrels of the device were thought to resemble the pipes of a pipe organ.

Across languages

Translations

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: арга́н (arhán) — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Belarusian: сарока (saróka) — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Breton: arm ograoù — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Breton: ribauldequin — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Chinese Mandarin: 風琴炮 /风琴炮 (fēngqínpào) — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Danish: orgelbøsse — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Danish: ribauldequin — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Dutch: ribaudequin — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Finnish: tuiskupyssy — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Finnish: urkupyssy — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • French: ribaudequin — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • West-Frisian: oargelkanon — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • West-Frisian: ribaudequin — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Georgian: ორგანი (organi) — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • German: Orgelgeschütz — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • German: Ribauldequin — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Hebrew: ריבודקן — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Italian: organo — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Italian: ribadocchino — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Japanese: オルガン砲 (orugan hō) — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Korean: 리볼데퀸 (riboldekwin) — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Lombard: orghen — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Marathi: ऑर्गन बंदूक (ŏrgan bandūk) — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Norwegian Bokmål: orgelbøsse — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Persian: ریباولدکویین — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Picard: ribaudkin — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Polish: organki — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Russian: рибадекин (ribadekin) — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Spanish: ribadoquín — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Spanish: cañón de órgano — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Swedish: orgelbössa — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Swedish: salvbössa — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Ukrainian: органна гарма́та (orhanna harmáta) — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession
  • Ukrainian: рибадекін (rybadekin) — portable firearm in which bullets may be fired from a row of several tubes in succession