holster

See also: hölster

English

Etymology

From Dutch holster (“pistol-case, holster”), from Middle Low German holster, from Old Saxon *holster, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hulastrą, *hulistrą (“hull, case, covering”).

Cognate with Old English heolstor (“a covering, veil, hiding-place”), Danish hylster (“pistol case, envelope”), Icelandic hulstur (“sheath”), Gothic 𐌷𐌿𐌻𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍂 (hulistr, “covering”). Compare German Halfter (“pistol case”). Related to hull, hele.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɒlstə(ɹ)/, /ˈhoʊlstə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England); /ˈhɒlstə/:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒlstə(ɹ), -əʊlstə(ɹ)

Noun

holster (plural holsters)

1. A case for carrying a tool, particularly a gun, safely and accessibly.
   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter V, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 35:

     Goring, like himself, had sprang forwards, first snatching a pistol from his holsters, and discharging it at him who seemed to be the chief of the party,—the man reeled and fell; but his fall was instantly avenged.

   • 2023 October 22, HarryBlank, “Waiting to Happen”, in SCP Foundation‎^[1], archived from the original on 23 May 2024:

     Marion Wheeler took the seat, brushing the hem of her suit jacket aside to reveal a concealed holster. "You do know I carry a gun?"

2. A belt with loops or slots for carrying small tools or other equipment.

Derived terms

• cock holster

Translations

case for carrying a gun

• Arabic: قِرابُ الْمُسَدََّّسِ m (qirābu l-musadaaaasi)
• Belarusian: кабура́ f (kaburá), по́хва f (póxva)
• Bulgarian: кобур (bg) m (kobur)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 皮套 (pítào), 皮囊 (zh) (pínáng)

• Czech: pouzdro (cs) n
• Danish: hylster n
• Dutch: holster (nl) m
• Finnish: kotelo (fi)
• French: holster (fr) m, étui (fr) m
• Georgian: ბუდე (bude)
• German: Holster (de) n, Halfter (de) m or f, Pistolentasche (de) f
• Hungarian: pisztolytáska (hu)
• Italian: fondina (it) f
• Japanese: ホルスター (horusutā)
• Korean: 홀스터 (holseuteo)

  Bokmål: hylster n

• Norwegian:

  Nynorsk: hylster n

• Persian: جلد هفت تیر
• Polish: kabura (pl) f
• Portuguese: coldre (pt) m
• Russian: кобура́ (ru) f (koburá)
• Slovak: puzdro n
• Slovene: kubura f, tok (sl) m
• Spanish: pistolera f
• Swedish: hölster (sv) n
• Tagalog: bayna
• Turkish: kubur (tr), tabanca kılıfı
• Ukrainian: кобура́ (uk) f (koburá)

belt with loops or slots

• Finnish: työkaluvyö
• Italian: cintura per attrezzi f

Verb

holster (third-person singular simple present holsters, present participle holstering, simple past and past participle holstered)

1. To put something in a holster.

Derived terms

• reholster

Anagrams

• Holters, Hetlors, orthels, hostler, Hostler

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Low German Holster, from Middle Low German holster, from Old Saxon *holster, from Proto-Germanic *hulistrą (“covering”).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: hol‧ster

Noun

holster m (plural holsters, diminutive holstertje n)

1. holster (leather case into which a gun fits snugly)