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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
Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025
What begins as a deep Southern gangster period piece soon transforms into a harrowing fight for survival and spiritual freedom against a ruthless clan of vampires.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 4 Apr. 2025
Cemeteries, too, will do a land office business, not only with dead gangsters, but innocents too, caught in the cross fire.
—Walter E Block, Orange County Register, 22 Mar. 2025
The same could be said about De Niro in his newest film, The Alto Knights, another gangster opus but this time without the directorial guidance of Martin Scorsese, De Niro’s usual guru in American male psychopathology.
—Armond White, National Review, 21 Mar. 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 18 Apr. 2025.
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