/snap"hans, -hahns/ , n.
an early flintlock mechanism for igniting a charge of gunpowder in a gun.
[ 1580-90; snaphaan (or G Schnapphahn ) orig., highwayman, equiv. to snap ( pen ) to snatch, SNAP + haan rooster (D haan, G Hahn, parallel to COCK 1 , mean both "rooster" and "hammer of a firearm"); source of final s unclear ]