# snaphance

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A spring lock for discharging a firearm.
2. The firearm to which it is attached.
3. A trifling or second-rate thing or person.
4. A snappish retort.

## Etymology
Dutch snaphaan (“a gun”), originally, the snapping cock of a gun. See snap and hen.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/snaphance