Where does “gangbuster” come from?
gangbuster (English) comes from English Buster, from German Büste, from French buste, from Italian busto, from Latin bustum, from Latin urere, from Latin uro, from Proto-Italic ouzō — to burn.
gangbuster (English): A law enforcement officer who specializes in...
Definitions
- A law enforcement officer who specializes in...
Ancestry of “gangbuster”, step by step
gangbuster traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Buster
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Buster | who or something that bursts, breaks, or destroys a specified thing |
| 2 | German | Büste | bust; dummy |
| 3 | French | buste | bust, torso; bust |
| 4 | Italian | busto | tomb, grave; cadaver, corpse; bust |
| 5 | Latin | bustum | A burial mound, tomb; A place for burning funeral... |
| 6 | Latin | urere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 7 | Latin | uro | I burn, consume, inflame; to rage, to ravage |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | ouzō | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ews- | to burn |
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 |