Where does “mobster” come from?
Mobster derives from English mob, shortened from English mab, from Old English -estre, from Latin mobile, the neuter form of Latin mobilis meaning movable, from Latin -bilis and Proto-Indo-European mew- meaning to move.
mobster (English): a member of a mob or Mafia
Definitions
- a member of a mob or Mafia
Ancestry of “mobster”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mob | A large or disorderly group of people; especially... |
| 2 | English | mobile | Capable of being moved, especially on wheels;... |
| 3 | Latin | mōbilis | movable, loose |
| 4 | Latin | -bilis | -ble |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -ðlis | Forms adjectives from verb stems indicating capacity or worth of being acted on |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlom | Alternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;... |