Etymology

petronel

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Today it means: A short but large-caliber, heavy 16th- and 17th-century firearm that used a matchlock or wheellock mechanism, intermediate between the arquebuse and pistol. Full definition →

Middle French petrinal ← Latin pectorina
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The story

  1. Latin · derived frompectorina
  2. Middle French · borrowed frompetrinal
  3. English todaypetronel

From Middle French petrinal, alteration of poitrinal, from poitrinal (“of the chest”) (the weapon is thought to have been braced against a chest-pad when firing), from poitrine (“chest, breast”), from Latin pectorina, feminine of pectorinus (“of the breast”) (from pectus (“chest”) + -inus (“-ine”)).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.