Gewehr
{{Short description|German word for rifle}}
{{Refimprove|date=September 2024}}
{{Lang|de|Gewehr}} is the German word for a long-barreled firearm such as a rifle or shotgun.{{Cite web |access-date=September 9, 2024 |title=Gewehr|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/german-english/gewehr |work=Collins English Dictionary}} The word is also used extensive in German to form compound words that describe specific types of service weapons, such as {{lang|de|scharfschützengewehr}} (sniper rifle), {{lang|de|sturmgewehr}} (assault rifle) and {{lang|de|maschinengewehr}} (machine gun).
Prior to the 1840s, rifled guns were not widespread, and firearms are smoothbore muzzleloaders termed {{lang|de|Büchse}}, a term that are still used in German hunting jargons today. Etymologically, the word "{{lang|de|gewehr}}" is related to "fighting" or "guarding", and so became the standard term for military-type weapons.{{cite web|url=https://www.dwds.de/wb/Gewehr|title=Gewehr, das|website=Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache|lang=de}} The term "Gewehr" can be encountered in the context of 19th and 20th century military history for nonspecific rifles from German-speaking countries, e.g. in arms trade, in particular for types produced before German unification in 1871.
Specific types, sorted chronologically from 1841 to 1997 and with designer given, are: