doublebarreled

Doublebarreled, also spelled double-barreled, is an adjective used to describe something that has two barrels. The term is most commonly applied to firearms, especially shotguns, which may have two parallel barrels either side-by-side (SxS) or stacked (over-under, O/U). Double-barreled firearms are typically break-action and can be chambered to fire two loads before reloading. Some models include two triggers, while others use a single trigger with a barrel selector. The design offers various handling characteristics and is often associated with sporting and hunting applications, particularly birds.

Beyond firearms, the term is used more generally for things that have two components or two attributes, or in naming. A double-barreled surname is a family name formed by combining two names, often joined by a hyphen (for example, Smith-Jones) or, less commonly, with a space. Such surnames may reflect marriage, lineage, or the merging of family names.

In linguistic and social usage, the phrase “double-barreled” can describe statements, questions, or policies that entangle two different ideas. In surveys and research design, a double-barreled question is one that asks two questions at once, making it difficult to answer unambiguously.

Etymology: the term derives from the literal feature of a firearm having two parallel barrels. Spelling variants include double-barreled (hyphenated, common in British and American usage) or, less frequently, the solid form doublebarreled.