The designation 7.92mm was unknown to the German forces. They referred to it as Gewehrpatrone 8x57mm IS (IS standing for Infanterie Spitzgeschoss - infantry pointed bullet - to distinguish it from the earlier round-nose cartridge with which it was not safely interchangeable). The British Empire used the round for their BESA machinegun (itself adopted from Czech sources) and it was they that coined the designation Cartridge, Small Arms, 7.92mm.