noun
Uncommon
Winchester
WIHNT-shehs-tuh
Winchester (noun) means a type of lever-action repeating rifle made by the Winchester company. Example: “The cowboy in the film carried an old Winchester.”
noun
1
A type of lever-action repeating rifle made by the Winchester company.
"Almost simultaneously Jim Taylor and Kit Hunter shot at each other with Winchesters."
— James M. Smallwood, The Feud That Wasn't (2008)
"The cowboy in the film carried an old Winchester."
2
An older term for a type of hard disk drive.
"Early PCs stored data on bulky Winchester disks."
How to use Winchester
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMost often refers to the classic lever-action rifle; less commonly, an old term for a computer hard drive.
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Word forms
- Plural
- Winchesters
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The cowboy in the film carried an old _____.
Etymology
The rifle is named after 19th-century American businessman Oliver Winchester; the computer hard disk term comes, in turn, from the rifle's name via an early IBM disk model nicknamed "Winchester".
Class of 1800
Winchester joined the language around 1800.
See the full Class of 1800 →
Synonyms
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lever-action rifle
Rhymes for Winchester
See all rhymes for Winchester →Frequently asked questions
What does “Winchester” mean?
The word “Winchester” means a type of lever-action repeating rifle made by the Winchester company. In plain terms, most often refers to the classic lever-action rifle; less commonly, an old term for a computer hard drive.
How do you pronounce “Winchester”?
“Winchester” is pronounced WIHNT-shehs-tuh (/ˈwɪnt͡ʃɛstə(ɹ)/ in IPA).
How do you use “Winchester” in a sentence?
Here is “Winchester” used in a sentence: “The cowboy in the film carried an old Winchester.”
What part of speech is “Winchester”?
“Winchester” is a noun.
Where does the word “Winchester” come from?
The word “Winchester” dates back to around 1800. The rifle is named after 19th-century American businessman Oliver Winchester; the computer hard disk term comes, in turn, from the rifle's name via an early IBM disk model nicknamed "Winchester".
Is “Winchester” a common word?
“Winchester” is an uncommon word in modern English.
How many meanings does “Winchester” have?
“Winchester” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a type of lever-action repeating rifle made by the Winchester company.
What is the difference between a Winchester rifle and other rifles?
A Winchester specifically refers to a type of lever-action repeating rifle made by the Winchester company, distinguishing it from other rifle designs by both its manufacturer and its lever-action mechanism.
Why is a hard disk drive sometimes called a Winchester?
Winchester became an older term for a type of hard disk drive, a usage that developed separately from the firearm sense and reflects early computing terminology rather than any connection to guns.
Is Winchester still a common term for hard drives?
Winchester is described as an older term for hard disk drives, suggesting it has largely fallen out of common use in favor of more modern terminology.
