French for "rifle" is "fusil", while "shotgun" is "fusil de chasse". This suggests the core French word "fusil" means something less specific than "rifle", which in English refers to the spiraled "rifling" along the inside of the barrel, which a shotgun lacks.
However, the Italian word "fusile" can mean either "rifle" or "shotgun", yet also spiral-shaped pasta, despite a shotgun lacking this.
Can anyone explain, s'il vous plait ?