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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
Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 17 July 2024
Ursula’s Costumes is a 6,000-square-foot treasure trove filled with a warren of smaller rooms stuffed with petticoats, flapper dresses, pirate outfits, gangsters’ pinstripe suits, nuns’ habits, Western wear and Roman legion uniforms.
—Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The Western’s template — our Homeric epic and Greek tragedy — also informs the genres that have recently overtaken it in popularity, whether the gangster film or the sci-fi spectacular.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 July 2024
The film, about a trio of ageing gangsters forced to reunite against a team of bent cops, had its world premiere screening in competition at the 80th Venice Film Festival and later received five nominations at the David di Donatello awards, winning for Best Score.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for gangster 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gangster.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gangster
Cite this Entry
“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangster. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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