Wiktionary

gang

See also: Gang, gàng, gäng, gǎng, găng, gāng, and gång
Languages (27)
English
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English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English gangen, from Old English gangan (“to go, walk, turn out”), from Proto-West Germanic *gangan, from Proto-Germanic *ganganą (“to go, walk”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ- (“to step, walk”).

Cognate with Scots gang (“to go on foot, walk”), Swedish gånga (“to walk, go”), Faroese ganga (“to walk”), Icelandic ganga (“to walk, go”), Vedic Sanskrit जंहस् (jáṃhas). Ultimately: related to etym. 2, see below.

Alternative forms

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Verb

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gang (third-person singular simple present gangs, present participle ganging, simple past and past participle ganged)

  1. (intransitive, Northern England, Scotland) To go; walk; proceed.
    • 1772, Richard Cumberland, The Fashionable Lover. A Comedy., act III:
      (Colin alone) Ah, Colin, thou’rt a prodigal; a thriftless loon thou’st been, that cou’d na’ keep a little pelf to thysall when thou had’st got it; now thou may’st gang in this poor geer to thy live's end, and worse too for aught I can tell; ’faith, mon, ’twas a smeart little bysack of money thou hadst scrap’d together, an the best part of it had na’ being last amongst thy kinsfolk, in the Isles of Skey and Mull; muckle gude may it do the weams of them that ha’ it! There was Jamie MacGregor and Sawney MacNab, and the twa braw lads of Kinruddin, with old Charley MacDougall, my mother's first husband's second cousin: by my sol I cou’d na’ see such near relations, and gentlemen of sich auncient families gang upon bare feet, while I rode a horseback: I had been na’ true Scot, an I cou’d na’ ge’en a countryman a gude last upon occasion (as he is going out, Miss Aubrey enters.)
    • 1828, James Hogg, Mary Burnet:
      "And am I to meet my Mary at Moffat? Come away, little, dear, welcome body, thou blessed of heaven, come away, and taste of an auld shepherd's best cheer, and I'll gang foot for foot with you to Moffat, and my auld wife shall gang foot for foot with us too. I tell you, little, blessed, and welcome crile, come along with me."
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From Middle English gang, from Old English gang (“a journey; way; passage”), from Proto-West Germanic *gang, from Proto-Germanic *gangaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰongʰ-o-s, from *ǵʰengʰ- (“to step; stride”).

Cognate with Saterland Frisian Gong, Dutch gang, German Gang, Norwegian gang, Swedish gång, Icelandic gangur, Vedic Sanskrit जंहस् (jáṃhas).

Noun

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gang (plural gangs)

  2. A number going in company; a number of friends or persons associated for a particular purpose.
    the Gashouse Gang
    The gang from our office is going out for drinks Friday night.
  3. A group of laborers under one foreman; a squad or workgang.
    a gang of sailors; a railroad gang; a labor gang or pool.
  4. A criminal group with a common cultural background and identifying features, often associated with a particular section of a city.
    a youth gang; a neighborhood gang; motorcycle gang.
  6. A group of criminals or alleged criminals who band together for mutual protection and profit.
    The Winter Hill Gang was quite proficient at murdering rival mobsters in order to take over their rackets.
  7. A group of politicians united in furtherance of a political goal.
    The Gang of Four was led by Jiang Qing, the fourth wife of Mao Zedong.
    Not all members of the Gang of Six are consistent in their opposition to filibuster.
  8. (US) A chain gang.
  9. A combination of similar tools or implements arranged so as, by acting together, to save time or labor; a set.
    a gang of saws; a gang of plows; a gang drill; gang milling.
  10. A set; all required for an outfit.
    a new gang of stays.
  11. (electrics) A number of switches or other electrical devices wired into one unit and covered by one faceplate.
    an outlet gang box; a double gang switch.
  12. (electrics) A group of wires attached as a bundle.
    a gang of wires
    Do a drop for the telephone gang, then another drop for the Internet gang, both through the ceiling of the wiring closet.
  13. (now chiefly dialectal) A going, journey; a course, path, track.
    • 1840, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Woodnotes I.3:
      In unploughed Maine he sought the lumberers’ gang / Where from a hundred lakes young rivers sprang
    • 1869, “Papa André”, in Once a Week, page 418/1:
      That week was also called the Gang Week, from the Saxon ganger, to go; and the Rogation days were termed the Gang Days.
    • 1895, Frederick Tupper Jr., Anglo-Saxon Dæg-Mæl, Modern Language Association of America, page 229:
      Neither Marshall nor Bouterwek makes clear the connection existing between the Gang-days and the Major and Minor Litanies.
  14. (obsolete) An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.
    • c. 1000, Aelfric, Homilies, Vol. I, page 290:
      Þaða he to gange com.
  15. (African-American Vernacular, used in the vocative) A term of address for a group, particularly when cautioning them or offering advice.
Synonyms
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Hyponyms
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hyponyms of gang (noun)
Derived terms
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terms derived from gang (noun)
Descendants
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  • → Cebuano: gang
  • → Danish: gæng
  • → Dutch: gang
  • → Hindi: गैंग (gaiṅg)
  • → Japanese: ギャング (gyangu)
  • → Malay: geng
  • → Norman: dgaîngue
  • → Norwegian:
  • → Portuguese: gangue
  • → Spanish: gang
  • → Swedish: gäng
  • → Tagalog: gang
  • → Thai: แก๊ง (gɛ́ng)
Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

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gang (third-person singular simple present gangs, present participle ganging, simple past and past participle ganged)

  1. (transitive) To attach similar items together to form a larger unit.
    • 1981, Human Engineering Design Criteria for Military Systems, United States. Department of Defense, page 58:
      Volume controls may be ganged to mode switches to provide maximum output […]
    • 1999 May, Rosario Capotosto, “Building a Bookcase”, in Popular Mechanics:
      When cutting the back cleats with the T-guide, first gang them together so all the marks on one side align.
    • 2011, Corky Binggeli, Interior Graphic Standards: Student Edition, →ISBN, page 317:
      The chairs are usually ganged together using a variety of ganging or locking mechanisms to create rows and prevent the chairs from moving out of position.
Derived terms
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See also

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Etymology 3

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See gan.

Verb

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gang

  1. Pronunciation spelling of gan.

Etymology 4

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Shortening of gangbang.

Verb

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gang (third-person singular simple present gangs, present participle ganging, simple past and past participle ganged)

  1. Synonym of gangbang
    • 1970, Richard Allen, Skinhead, New Eng. Lib., →ISBN, page 104; republished as Skinhead, Dean Street Press, 2015, →ISBN:
      He still liked the idea of them all ganging her [...]
    • 1998, Velmarine Oliphant Szabo, Velmarine's Diary (as cited in Alarid, 2000)[1]:
      […] I’ve learned over the years that there's a thin line to tread to avoid fights or getting “ganged” when rejecting the sexual overtures of incarcerated women.

References

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  1. ^ Alarid, Leanne Fiftal (2000) “Sexual Assault and Coercion Among Incarcerated Women Prisoners: Excerpts From Prison Letters”, in The Prison Journal, volume 80, number 4, →DOI

Etymology 5

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Noun

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gang (countable and uncountable, plural gangs)

  1. (mining) Alternative form of gangue

Anagrams

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Afrikaans

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Etymology

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From Dutch gang, from Middle Dutch ganc, from Old Dutch gank, gang, from Proto-Germanic *gangaz.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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gang (plural gange)

  1. a passageway, alley

Alemannic German

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Verb

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gang

  1. second-person imperative singular of gaa

Balinese

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Romanization

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gang

  1. Romanization of ᬕᬂ

Cebuano

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from English gang, from Middle English gang, from Old English gang (“a journey; way; passage”), from Proto-Germanic *gangaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰongʰ-o-s, from *ǵʰengʰ- (“to step; stride”).

Noun

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gang

  1. gang (company of persons)
    Synonym: barkada
  2. criminal gang
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From langga, pangga. Compare lang.

Noun

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gang

  1. Term of address: dear; sweetie

Quotations

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For quotations using this term, see Citations:gang.

Danish

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Pronunciation

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Dialects
  • (Vendelbomål, Nordsjællandsk) IPA(key): [ɡɔŋˀ]
  • (Midtøstjysk) IPA(key): [ɡoŋˀ]
  • (Vestfynsk) IPA(key): [ɡɑ̃ˀ]
  • (Ærøsk, Lollandsk) IPA(key): [ɡɑ̃]
  • (Østfynsk) IPA(key): [ɡɑ̃ɪ̃ˀ]
  • (Tåsingsk) IPA(key): [ɡɑ̃ʊ̃]
  • (Bornholmsk) IPA(key): [ɡɔɲ]

Etymology 1

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From Old Danish gang, from Old Norse gangr, from Proto-Germanic *gangaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ- (“stride, step”).

Noun

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gang c (singular definite gangen, plural indefinite gange)

  1. the act of walking, a walk
  2. a time (an occurrence, an incidence)
    Hvor mange gange slog klokken?
    How many times did the bell toll?
  3. a way or path to walk on, either outdoors or indoors (a corridor)
Inflection
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Declension of gang
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative gang gangen gange gangene
genitive gangs gangens ganges gangenes
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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See gange.

Verb

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gang

  1. imperative of gange

References

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Dutch

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Etymology

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From Middle Dutch ganc, from Old Dutch gank, gang, from Proto-West Germanic *gang, from Proto-Germanic *gangaz.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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gang m (plural gangen, diminutive gangetje n)

  1. passageway, alley
    De oude stad heeft vele smalle gangen die toeristen aantrekken. ― The old city has many narrow alleys that attract tourists.
    Achter het huis is een smalle gang die naar de tuin leidt. ― Behind the house is a narrow passageway leading to the garden.
    Het gangetje tussen de gebouwen is moeilijk te vinden. ― The small alley between the buildings is hard to find.
  2. gait, walk (person's manner of walking or stepping)
    Zijn trotse gang maakte indruk op iedereen. ― His proud gait impressed everyone.
    Ze heeft een elegante gang die opvalt. ― She has an elegant walk that stands out.
    De dokter beoordeelde zijn gang tijdens de fysieke beoordeling. ― The doctor assessed his gait during the physical evaluation.
  3. journey
    De gang naar het zuiden was lang en vermoeiend. ― The journey to the south was long and tiring.
    Deze gang zal ons naar onbekende gebieden leiden. ― This journey will lead us to unknown territories.
    Elke gang brengt nieuwe avonturen en uitdagingen met zich mee. ― Every journey brings new adventures and challenges.
  4. hallway, corridor
    De gang was verlicht met oude lantaarns. ― The hallway was lit with old lanterns.
    Aan het einde van de gang is een deur naar de tuin. ― At the end of the corridor is a door to the garden.
    Het gangetje leidt naar de slaapkamers. ― The small hallway leads to the bedrooms.
  5. course (meal)
    Het voorgerecht is de eerste gang van het diner. ― The appetizer is the first course of the dinner.
    Hoeveel gangen heeft dit feestelijke diner? ― How many courses does this festive dinner have?
    De chefkok bereidde een vijfgangenmaaltijd voor. ― The chef prepared a five-course meal.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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References

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  1. ^ Salmon Claudine. Malay (and Javanese) Loan-words in Chinese as a Mirror of Cultural Exchanges. In: Archipel, volume 78, 2009. pp. 181-208

French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English gang.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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gang m or f (plural gangs)

  1. gang, group of ill-doers

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Garo

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Etymology

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

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gang

  1. river

References

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  • Burling, R. (2003) The Language of the Modhupur Mandi (Garo) Vol. II: The Lexicon‎[1], Bangladesh: University of Michigan, page 114

German

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Verb

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gang

  1. obsolete form of geh, singular imperative of gehen

Hungarian

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gang (three levels in the upper half of the photo)

Etymology

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From German Gang.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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gang (plural gangok)

  1. (informal) outside walkway, hanging corridor (along the main walls of the courtyard of a tenement building, a major venue of socializing with neighbours)
    Synonym: (mainly as an architectural term) függőfolyosó

Declension

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Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative gang gangok
accusative gangot gangokat
dative gangnak gangoknak
instrumental ganggal gangokkal
causal-final gangért gangokért
translative ganggá gangokká
terminative gangig gangokig
essive-formal gangként gangokként
essive-modal — —
inessive gangban gangokban
superessive gangon gangokon
adessive gangnál gangoknál
illative gangba gangokba
sublative gangra gangokra
allative ganghoz gangokhoz
elative gangból gangokból
delative gangról gangokról
ablative gangtól gangoktól
non-attributive
possessive - singular 		gangé gangoké
non-attributive
possessive - plural 		gangéi gangokéi
Possessive forms of gang
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. gangom gangjaim
2nd person sing. gangod gangjaid
3rd person sing. gangja gangjai
1st person plural gangunk gangjaink
2nd person plural gangotok gangjaitok
3rd person plural gangjuk gangjaik

Derived terms

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Compound words

Further reading

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  • gang in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Indonesian

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Etymology 1

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From Dutch gang (“passageway, alley”), from Middle Dutch ganc, from Old Dutch gank, gang, from Proto-Germanic *gangaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰongʰ-o-s, from *ǵʰengʰ- (“to step; stride”). Doublet of geng.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɡaŋ/
  • Hyphenation: gang

Noun

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gang (first-person possessive gangku, second-person possessive gangmu, third-person possessive gangnya)

  1. alleyway, alley, narrow street. A narrow pathway bound by walls on both sides
    Synonym: lorong
    gang buntu ― dead-end alley
Descendants
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  • → Min Nan: 澗／涧 (kàn, “narrow street”)[1]

Etymology 2

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Noun

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gang (first-person possessive gangku, second-person possessive gangmu, third-person possessive gangnya)

  1. Alternative spelling of geng (“gang”)

Verb

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gang

  1. Alternative spelling of geng

References

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  1. ^ Salmon Claudine. Malay (and Javanese) Loan-words in Chinese as a Mirror of Cultural Exchanges. In: Archipel, volume 78, 2009. pp. 181-208

Further reading

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Italian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English gang.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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gang f (usually invariable, plural (dated) gangs)

  1. gang, specifically:
  2. (dated) a group of people
  3. (dated) a group of laborers under one foreman
  4. a criminal group
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References

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  1. ^ gang in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Further reading

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  • gang in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Maltese

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English gang.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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gang m (plural gangijiet)

  1. gang (a company of persons)

Derived terms

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Mandarin

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Romanization

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gang

  1. Nonstandard spelling of gāng.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of gǎng.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of gàng.

Usage notes

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  • Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English

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Noun

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gang

  1. Alternative form of gong

Norwegian Bokmål

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Etymology

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From Old Norse gangr, also related to gå.

Noun

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gang m (definite singular gangen, indefinite plural ganger, definite plural gangene)

  1. hall, hallway
    Sett fra deg skoene i gangen.
    Leave your shoes in the hallway.
  2. passage, corridor
    I enden av den lange gangen er klasserommet.
    The classroom is at the end of the long corridor.
  3. aisle
  4. walk, path
  5. walk, walking, going
  6. walk, gait
    Gangen hans er litt merkelig.
    His gait is a bit weird
  7. working, running, action, movement, motion, operation
  8. course; passage
  9. course; march
  10. time
    Vi vant fem ganger på rad!
    We won five times in a row!
  11. plot, action
    Historiens gang var litt komplisert.
    The plot of the story was somewhat complicated.
  12. (mining) dike, lode
  13. vein
  14. (anatomy) duct

Derived terms

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References

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Etymology

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From Old Norse gangr, also related to gå.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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gang m (definite singular gangen, indefinite plural gangar, definite plural gangane)

  1. hall, hallway
    Sett frå deg skorne i gangen.
    Leave your shoes in the hallway.
  2. passage, corridor
    I enden av den lange gangen er klasserommet.
    The classroom is at the end of the long corridor.
  3. aisle
  4. walk, path
  5. walk, walking, going
  6. walk, gait
    Gangen hans er litt merkeleg.
    His gait is a bit weird
  7. working, running, action, movement, motion, operation
  8. course; passage
  9. course; march
  10. plot, action
    Gangen i soga var litt komplisert.
    The plot of the story was somewhat complicated.
  11. (mining) dike, lode
  12. vein
  13. (anatomy) duct

Derived terms

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See also

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References

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Old English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Proto-West Germanic *gang, from Proto-Germanic *gangaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ- (“to step; stride”). Related to Old English gangan (“to go, walk”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɡɑnɡ/, [ɡɑŋɡ]

Noun

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gang m

  1. going, walking
  2. path
  3. walk, gait
  4. toilet

Declension

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Declension of gang (strong a-stem)
Case Singular Plural
nominative gang gangas
accusative gang gangas
genitive ganges ganga
dative gange gangum

Derived terms

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terms derived from gang (noun)

Descendants

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Old High German

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Etymology

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From Proto-West Germanic *gang.

Noun

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gang m (plural ganga)

  1. A path, course, way, journey; a going

Declension

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Declension of gang (masculine a-stem)
case singular plural
nominative gang ganga
accusative gang ganga
genitive ganges gango
dative gange gangum
instrumental gangu —

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Polish

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Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

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Borrowed from English gang, from Middle English gang, from Old English gang, from Proto-West Germanic *gang, from Proto-Germanic *gangaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰongʰ-o-s, from *ǵʰengʰ-. Doublet of ganek.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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gang m inan

  1. gang (criminal group with a common background)
    Synonyms: banda, szajka

Declension

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Declension of gang
singular plural
nominative gang gangi
genitive gangu gangów
dative gangowi gangom
accusative gang gangi
instrumental gangiem gangami
locative gangu gangach
vocative gangu gangi
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adjective
nouns

Further reading

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  • gang in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • gang in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

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Pronunciation

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  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ɡɐ̃.ɡuˈi/ [ɡɐ̃.ɡʊˈi], /ɡɐ̃ˈɡi/

  • Hyphenation: gang

Noun

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gang (Portugal) m or (Brazil) f (plural gangs)

  1. Dated spelling of gangue.

Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from German Gang.

Noun

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gang n (plural ganguri)

  1. passageway

Declension

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Declension of gang
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) gang gangul (niște) ganguri gangurile
genitive/dative (unui) gang gangului (unor) ganguri gangurilor
vocative gangule gangurilor

Scots

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English gangen, from Old English gangan, Old Norse ganga, with inflected forms from Old English gān (like English go).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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gang (third-person singular simple present gangs, present participle gaun, simple past gaed, past participle gaen)

  1. To go.
    • 1794, Robert Burns, A Red, Red, Rose:
      And I will love thee still, my dear
      Till a’ the seas gang dry.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
      "There you gang," she cries, "troking wi' thae wearifu' Pharisees o' Caulds, whae daurna darken your mither's door. A bonnie dutiful child, quotha! Wumman, hae ye nae pride?—no even the mense o' a tinkler-lass?"
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Spanish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English gang.

Noun

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gang m (plural gangs)

  1. gang
    Synonyms: (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico) mara, pandilla
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Tagalog

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English gang, from Middle English gang, from Old English gang (“a journey; way; passage”), from Proto-Germanic *gangaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰongʰ-o-s, from *ǵʰengʰ- (“to step; stride”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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gang (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜅ᜔)

  1. gang (company of persons)
    Synonyms: barkada, barkadahan
  2. criminal gang
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Further reading

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  • “gang”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
  • “gang”, in Pinoy Dictionary, 2010–2024

Vietnamese

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Proto-Vietic *c-kaːŋ (“handspan”).

Noun

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gang • (𡬼, 𪮚)

  1. a handspan

See also

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Derived terms

Etymology 2

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Vietnamese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia vi

From Proto-Vietic *t-kaːŋ, from Old Chinese 鋼 (OC *C.kˤaŋ) (B-S) (SV: cương).

Noun

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gang • (𨧠, 𮢪)

  1. cast iron
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