Where does “mobsman” come from?

mobsman (English) comes from English MAN, from English manual, from Middle English manuel, from Anglo-Norman manuel, from Old French manual, from Latin manuālis, from Latin manus, from Proto-Italic manus — human being; man; hand.

mobsman (English): A pickpocket working in groups

Definitions

  1. A pickpocket working in groups

Ancestry of “mobsman”, step by step

mobsman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English MAN

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMANInitialism of Metropolitan Area Network
2EnglishmanualA handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage...
3Middle Englishmanuel
4Anglo-Normanmanuelmanual; done with the hands; handle; manual;...
5Old Frenchmanual
6Latinmanuālishand
7Latinmanushand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting
8Proto-Italicmanushand
9Proto-Indo-Europeanman-human being; man; hand

via English mob

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmobA large or disorderly group of people; especially...
2EnglishmobileCapable of being moved, especially on wheels;...
3Latinmōbilismovable, loose
4Latin-bilis-ble
5Proto-Italic-ðlisForms adjectives from verb stems indicating capacity or worth of being acted on
6Proto-Indo-European-dʰlis
7Proto-Indo-European-dʰlomAlternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European man-
mobsman — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer