What does pistole mean?
A pistole was a gold coin, particularly one of the large Spanish gold coins issued during the early modern period. Its name became associated with several currencies and coinages in continental Europe, so “pistole” can refer more broadly to a historic European gold coin rather than only to a specifically Spanish issue. Today the word is uncommon outside historical, numismatic, and collecting contexts, where it helps distinguish an older type of gold currency from both silver coins and modern paper money. The term is easily confused with “pistol,” a firearm, but the two belong to different areas of vocabulary even though their names are historically related. A collector’s description might identify a piece as a Spanish pistole, a French pistole, or another regional variety according to its origin, date, design, and weight.
nounA gold coin, especially a Spanish gold coin, issued during the early modern period and later used in various European countries.
- A historical European gold coin, especially the Spanish gold coin from which the term is chiefly known.
"The museum displays a Spanish pistole minted in the seventeenth century."
"A rare pistole from the reign of Philip IV is held in the numismatic collection."
"The archivist recorded the value of the pistole in silver as the accounts were balanced."
The plural is used when referring to multiple historical gold coins.
"The archive contains records of pistoles and other gold currencies accepted in international trade."
Long before firearms became known simply as pistols, the name was already attached to celebrated European gold coins.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pistole come from?
English borrowed the word from French pistole, which in turn came from Italian pistolo. The Italian word had referred to a type of gold coin before the related firearm name became established in several European languages. The firearm terms “pistol,” “pistolet,” and “pistolier” belong to the same broader etymological family, although their exact paths of transmission varied by language.
How pistole is actually used
The word is historical rather than part of ordinary modern currency vocabulary. It survives mainly in numismatics, auction descriptions, historical writing, and discussions of early modern European coinage.
Easily confused with pistole
A pistole was a historical gold coin, whereas a pistol is a firearm.