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, 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

• holsterable
• reholster
• unholster

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)