gang
/ˈɡeɪ̯ŋ/ verb, noun
Also a form of gong
Forms gangs ganging ganged gan
- verb (intransitive, Northern England, Scotland) To go; walk; proceed.
- noun A number going in company; a number of friends or persons associated for a particular purpose.
- noun A group of laborers under one foreman; a squad or workgang.
- noun A criminal group with a common cultural background and identifying features, often associated with a particular section of a city.
- noun A group of criminals or alleged criminals who band together for mutual protection and profit. “The Winter Hill Gang was quite proficient at murdering rival mobsters in order to take over their rackets.”
- noun A group of politicians united in furtherance of a political goal. “The Gang of Four was led by Jiang Qing, the fourth wife of Mao Zedong.”
- noun (US) A chain gang.
- noun (African-American Vernacular, used in the vocative) A term of address for a group, particularly when cautioning them or offering advice.
- noun (by extension, Internet slang) A term of address for any other person or group of people.
- verb (transitive) To attach similar items together to form a larger unit.
- verb Synonym of gangbang.
Synonyms
outhouse gangbang pack ring mob crowd crew bunch work party gang up
Etymology
From Middle English gangen, from Old English gangan (“to go, walk, turn out”), from Proto-West Germanic *gangan, from Proto-Germanic *ganganą (“to go, walk”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ- (“to step, walk”).
Cognate with Scots gang (“to go on foot, walk”), Swedish gånga (“to walk, go”), Faroese ganga (“to walk”), Icelandic ganga (“to walk, go”), Norwegian Nynorsk ganga (“to walk, go”), Vedic Sanskrit जंहस् (jáṃhas). Ultimately related to etymology 2, which see below.
From Middle English gang, from Old English gang (“a journey; way; passage”), from Proto-West Germanic *gang, from Proto-Germanic *gangaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰongʰ-o-s, from *ǵʰengʰ- (“to step; stride”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Gong, Dutch gang, German Gang, Norwegian gang, Swedish gång, Icelandic gangur, Vedic Sanskrit जंहस् (jáṃhas).
Shortening of gangbang.
See gan.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To go; to walk.
- noun A going; a course. [Obs.]
- noun A number going in company; hence, a company, or a number of persons associated for a particular purpose; a group of laborers under one foreman; a squad; as, a gang of sailors; a chain gang; a gang of thieves.
Etymology [AS. gangan, akin to OS. & OHG. gangan, Icel. ganga, Goth. gaggan; cf. Lith. to walk, Skr. ja leg. sq. root48. CF. Go.]
Etymology [Icel. gangr a going, gang, akin to AS., D., G., & Dan. gang a going, Goth. gaggs street, way. See Gang, v. i.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “gang”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details