"short-barreled, large-caliber pistol," very effective at close range, 1850, for Henry Deringer (1786-1868), U.S. gunsmith who invented it in the 1840s. The prevailing misspelled form is how his name appeared on the many counterfeits and imitations.
derogative
derogatory
derrick
derriere
derring-do
derringer
Derry
*deru-
dervish
des-
Des Moines