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What is the history of the word gangster?
Gangster came into the English language at the latter portion of the 19th century, as one of what is now a large parcel of words which have been formed by adding the noun combining form –ster to an existing word. The ending -ster has a number of possible meanings (“one that does, handles, or operates,” “one that makes or uses,” “one that is associated with or participates in,” “one that is”), and one of its interesting elements is that it has, in many cases, shifted its gender. This second portion of gangster comes from the Old English -estre, meaning “female agent.” The word tapster ("a bartender"), for instance, was tæppestre in Old English, and designated a barmaid, or female tapster. In modern use the addition of -ster may often be found in a gender-neutral sense, as with hipster, or with implications of masculinity, as with gangster and mobster, through prevalence of usage.
Synonyms
Examples of gangster in a Sentence
Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2025
The group’s chairman is John Chan, a former Chinatown gangster convicted of human trafficking and drug smuggling charges in the mid-2000s who has since become influential in New York politics.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
In the upcoming season, Bumpy intensifies his bloody war against New York’s Mafia families while facing a formidable new rival: Black gangster Frank Lucas, portrayed by Rome Flynn.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 3 Jan. 2025
Worried that this year’s game will begin soon, Gi-hun ups the reward to 1 billion won (around $695,000) and intensifies the search until basically all of Seoul’s gangsters are working for him.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near gangster
Cite this Entry
“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangster. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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