There are words that are often used, but each of them interprets their meaning in their own way. If incidents happen often, then the speech unit is written off, usually in historicism. But with the meaning of the word "shooter", everything happens wrong. Although the time span of use brings it to the “antique” class, modern fiction uses this term quite often.
Etymology of the word
The modern origin of the term is from the word “arrow” (in the prefix method) in the meaning of “fast”. Often, they spoke of brisk, restless children or reckless people. However, even earlier this was the name for the disease called apoplexy today (hemorrhage in an organ). Some sources point to the designation of other equally complex diseases - acute rheumatism, for example.
Researchers come to the conclusion that the word "shot" originally came from the now forgotten root of "arrows" - meaning unclean, the devil. Therefore, the word "shot" meant a rather unpleasant disease. The word appeared in everyday life before the 18th century. But dictionaries of the 19th century interpret the term in two ways. The basis in one case is the word arrow, and in the other, the obsolete root of arrows. By the way, the term "backache" in diseases of the spine is formed from the same forgotten foundation.
Obviously, the meaning of the word "shooter" testifies to its formation from the "arrow", although one should not lose sight of the option with a negative color. The context speaks best of all about the shades of the words used.
Use in the literature
The synonyms "mischief", "prankster", "playful" without changing the meaning, you can replace the word "shooter" in modern literature. These are the authors of the two thousandth years. This expression is not quite unambiguously used by the classics. Mark Twain, Maxim Gorky used a historical form in their works. We can conclude that the "shooter" has two lives: before the 18th century and after. Moreover, the fundamentals from which the word is formed are completely different.
Spoken or historical word?
The use of terms or unknown designations often leads the interlocutor to a standstill. It is unclear why rarely used words are used in the context of a conversation. What is a "shooter" in contemporary art and communication? This is a colloquial word. At the same time (as can be seen from examples of classical literature) they try not to use it as “historicism”. Historicism of "shooters" is used only to give a strong negative coloring in characterizing a character.