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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.
Examples of gangster in a Sentence
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2025
Before long, top officials started calling him an MS-13 gangster and a terrorist, even though he’s never been convicted of a crime.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2025
Its story of Chicago gangsters, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan), who return to their Mississippi hometown in 1932, closely follows the plot of the Nineties vampire extravaganza From Dusk till Dawn, which was directed by Robert Rodriquez in QT fanboy mode.
—Armond White, National Review, 18 Apr. 2025
While the Trump administration called the deportees sent to El Salvador terrorists, criminals and gangsters, a 60 Minutes investigation could not find criminal records for 75% of the 238 Venezuelan men imprisoned at CECOT as part of the March 15 operation.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangster
Cite this Entry
“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangster. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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