Büchse

Büchse is a German noun (feminine) with several related meanings. The most common sense in everyday language is a box or container, typically made of wood or metal, used to hold or transport items. Examples include a keepsake Büchse or a metal lunch Büchse. The plural is Büchsen.

A second sense refers to a tin can or canister, especially in older or regional usage. In contemporary standard language the more common words for this sense are Dose or Büchse in some contexts, but the term Büchse can still be found in descriptions of canned goods, particularly in historical or regional texts.

A third and distinct meaning designates a firearm; in hunting and military contexts, die Büchse means a rifle or long gun. This sense is closely connected to the tradition of firearms and to the profession of gunsmithing; a gunsmith is called der Büchsenmacher.

Etymology traces Büchse to older Germanic roots associated with box-like containers, with the sense expansion to include larger storage boxes and, later, firearms in historical usage. In modern German, the word is most often encountered in the box/container sense in everyday language, and in the rifle sense within hunting or historical contexts.

See also: Büchsenmacher; Gewehrbüchse.