Dictionary French Arabic translation

« Al-bunduqiyya » البندقية is the Arabic word for a rifle. It is derived from « al-bunduqa » البندقة  the hazelnut, as the first bullets shot by the crossbows, before the invention of the firearms, were similar to the fruit of the hazel tree : « al-bunduq » البندق .
In the Middle East, the first firearms were introduced by Venetians merchants, this is why nowadays Venice is called in Arabic « madînat al-bunduqiyya » مدينة البندقية , the city of the rifle. As it is frequent for quadriliteral words, its plural is internal : « banâdiq » بنادق .