robber

...It is also suggestive that in ancient times the word had the meaning of "the act, manner, or path of going." In America, there have been road robbers and horse thieves since colonial times, and they were called "bandit," "robber," "highway robber," "outlaw," etc. The word "gang" was used in 1657 to mean "a group of animals," and by 1823 it was used to mean "a group of corrupt politicians," and around 1870 the meaning of "a group of criminals" became established. Incidentally, a gang is a group, and when referring to one person, it is called a "gangster."

*Some terminology explanations that mention "robber" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…また，古くは〈行くという行為，様態あるいは道〉の意味があることも示唆的である。アメリカでは，植民地時代から街道強盗，馬どろぼうがいたが，彼らは〈bandit〉〈robber〉〈highway robber〉〈outlaw〉などと呼ばれ，ギャングの語は1657年に〈動物の群れ〉，1823年までには〈悪徳政治家の一味〉の意味で使われ，70年ころに〈犯罪者のグループ〉の意味が定着した。なお，ギャングは集団で，1人の場合は〈ギャングスターgangster〉という。…

※「robber」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報