gunsel
Americannoun
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a criminal armed with a gun.
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a young man in a sexual relationship with an older man; catamite.
noun
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a catamite
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a stupid or inexperienced person, esp a youth
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a criminal who carries a gun
Etymology
Origin of gunsel
First recorded in 1910–15; probably from Yiddish genzel “gosling,” from Middle High German gensel (diminutive of gans “goose”); armed criminal sense by influence of gun 1 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Julian Beck, the grand old mandarin of the Living Theater, is a cadaverous hoot as Dutch Schultz's gunsel.
From Time Magazine Archive
A 14-minute comic synopsis of low-class urban life that is vaguely reminiscent of Fellini's work, Murray is the picaresque tale of a vulpine conman who rises from petty-ante rumrunner to gunsel for "the Mob."
From Time Magazine Archive
And then again, a psychotic or a professional gunsel may not register at all.
From The Circuit Riders by Schoenherr, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
