assault rifle
UK /əˈsɒlt ˈɹaɪfəl/ · US /əˈsɔlt ˈɹaɪfəl/ noun
Forms assault rifles
- noun A military select-fire rifle or carbine that fires an intermediate-power cartridge, from a detachable magazine.
- noun (colloquial) Any firearm meeting the definition of an assault weapon, and in the form of a rifle.
Synonyms
Etymology
Calque of German Sturmgewehr (literally “storm rifle”). The Maschinenpistole 44 was called the Sturmgewehr by Adolf Hitler, whence it was renamed to represent the separate class of firearm it represented.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “assault rifle”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details