moll

¹ American  

[mol] / mɒl /

noun

Slang.

1. gun moll.

2. Archaic. a prostitute.

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moll ² American  

[mawl] / mɔl /

adjective

German.

1. (in music) written in a minor key; minor.

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Moll ³ American  

[mol] / mɒl /

noun

1. a female given name.

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moll British  

/ mɒl /

noun

1. the female accomplice of a gangster

2. a prostitute

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Etymology

Origin of moll

Special use of Moll

Explanation

A woman who's the companion or conspirator to a gangster can be called a moll. One of the most famous molls was Bonnie Parker, of the criminal duo Bonnie and Clyde. The informal moll has most often been used for the romantic partners of 1920s and 30s mobsters, like Al Capone's wife Mae or George "Baby Face" Nelson's girlfriend Helen. These supportive women were also called "gun molls," not named after the weapon, but for gonif, the Yiddish word for "thief." Moll is a shortened form of the name Molly, long a synonym for "woman of ill repute," for unknown reasons.

Example Sentences

Harley Quinn, before her great emancipation, was the ultimate gangster moll existing at and for the pleasure of The Joker.

From Salon • Oct. 27, 2024

Then, like a gun moll, the Queen Mother orders a martini.

From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2023

Everyone in the novel seems intent on wearing middle sister down, jamming her into a mold that makes more sense to the community—I.R.A. moll, adulterous hussy—than does a girl who reads while she walks.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 3, 2018

With her thickly braided hair, now handsomely white, and her tight black dress, the 72-year-old star looked on this night like an uncommonly well-preserved gangster moll.

From The Guardian • May 21, 2018

It set me thinking about what a moll the fellow was in that cave business.

From The Kopje Garrison A Story of the Boer War by Boucher, W.