Gangster
/ˈɡæŋ.stər/noun
A member of a criminal gang.
Did you know?Gang originally meant a going, journey, or course in Old Norse, while the suffix “-ster” developed as a term for a person associated with an activity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵʰengʰ-
“To step or go; a reconstructed root associated with movement.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*gangą
“A going, journey, or passage.”
Old Norse
Old Norse
gangr
“A walk, journey, passage, or course.”
Old English
Old English
gang
“A going, journey, passage, or way; also a group or company in some contexts.”
Middle English
English
gang
“A group of people acting together; the older sense of a way or course also continued.”
Late 19th Century
English
gangster
“A person associated with a gang, especially a criminal organization.”