Where does “black gang” come from?
black gang (English) comes from English gang, from Middle English gang, from Old English gang, from Proto-Germanic *gang, from Proto-Germanic gangaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰongʰ-o-s, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰengʰ- — to walk; to step.
black gang (English): A group of workers who fed the furnaces of a coal-powered steamship or other vessel
Definitions
- A group of workers who fed the furnaces of a coal-powered steamship or other vessel
Ancestry of “black gang”, step by step
black gang traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English gang
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gang | To go; walk; proceed; A number going in company;... |
| 2 | Middle English | gang | going |
| 3 | Old English | gang | going, walking; path; gait |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *gang | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gangaz | pace, step, gait; walk; way, course |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰongʰ-o-s | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰengʰ- | to walk; to step |
via English Black
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Black | Alternative letter-case form of black |
| 2 | Old French | blanc | white |
| 3 | Late Latin | blancus | white |
| 4 | Frankish | blank | bright; gleaming, white, blinding; bright,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *blank | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | blankaz | bright, shining, white, gleaming, blinding |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bhleg- | to shine, white; to shine, burn, scorch |