Gunfire

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɡʌnfʌɪə/

Definitions

1. The sound and action of bullets being discharged from firearms represent both a form of violent conflict and the practice of shooting for sport or training
2. The occurrence of shots being fired from a firearm highlights the dual aspects of hostile engagements and controlled shooting exercises
3. The discharge of firearms producing noise signifies both the realities of armed confrontation and the discipline of target practice

Etymology: Gunfire is a plain compound: "gun" joined to "fire", with no hidden history of its own. The first half traces back to Middle English "gunne", a word that was itself a short form of a female name, Gunhild or Gunnhildr, in Old Norse. That pet name had a fearsome root, since "gunnr" meant "battle" or "war" and "hildr" meant "battle" too, so the name amounted to something like "war-battle." How a woman's name came to label a weapon is the part of the story the record leaves unclear, but the link to a fighting word is built into the name itself. The second half, "fire," is an ordinary Old English word with the same sense it has today. Put together, the compound describes the sustained or repeated discharge of guns, whether in battle or in drill. Because the word names the sound and action rather than a particular weapon, it covers hostile fighting and practice shooting alike.

Synonyms: shooting, fire, firing, shootout, discharge