gangsterdomn.
/ˈɡaŋstədəm/, U.S. /ˈɡæŋstərdəm/ Originally U.S.
The world of organized crime (cf. gangdom n.); the activities, culture, etc., of gangsters.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > criminality > criminal person > [noun] > gang > domain of
gangdom1889
gangland1912
gangsterdom1923
society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > [noun] > crime > a criminal or law-breaker > criminal gang > world of
gangdom1889
gangland1912
gangsterdom1923
1923 Nation 26 Dec. 743/1 The autobiography of one who has come up in the world from sneak-thiefery and gangsterdom.
1932 New Statesman 7 May 581/1 The alternative is a steady growth of gangsterdom.
1958 Times Lit. Suppl. 31 Jan. 67/2 More tales of American night-life and gangsterdom between the wars.
1996 Premiere Feb. 61/1 Inventive juxtapositions of the glamour and horror of gangsterdom.
2012 New Yorker 9 Apr. 52/3 Some mob bosses still adhere to the old ranks of gangsterdom—‘dragon heads,’ at the top; ‘red poles,’ overseeing operations—but many follow the ancient rituals only perfunctorily.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1923