Gangster

...In America, there have been road robbers and horse thieves since colonial times, and they were called bandits, robbers, highway robbers, and outlaws. The word gang was used in 1657 to mean "a group of animals," and by 1823 it had come to mean "a group of corrupt politicians," and by 1870 the meaning of "a group of criminals" had become established. A gang is a group, and a single person is called a "gangster." The most representative gangster of the late 19th century was Jesse James, known as the "American Robin Hood," who repeatedly committed bank and train robberies throughout Missouri.

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

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…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。　19世紀後半を代表するギャングは，ミズーリ州一帯で銀行強盗，列車強盗を繰り返した〈アメリカのロビン･フッド〉ジェシー･ジェームズである。…

※「gangster」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