Outgunning

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have a greater level of firepower or tactical resources than an opponent in conflict situations
2. To surpass an adversary in terms of weaponry or competitive advantages during confrontations
3. Having superior weapons or equipment compared to another in a combat or rivalry situation

Etymology: "Outgunning" is simply the present participle of "outgun," built from the prefix "out-" and the noun "gun." The prefix "out-" is an Old English word meaning "outward" or "beyond," used in English to mean "surpassing" or "exceeding," as in "outrun" or "outlast." Attaching it to "gun" produces the sense of surpassing someone in firepower. The noun "gun" has an unexpectedly old pedigree for a weapon. Its earliest English ancestor is "gunne," a Middle English name that appears to be a short form of a woman's name, Gunnhild, drawn from Old Norse "Gunnhildr" and ultimately from Proto-Germanic roots meaning "battle" and "battle-fight." Early "gunnes" were probably nicknames for large pieces of artillery, and the link to the personal name is why the word looks so unrelated to its meaning today.