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• moll
  moll

  noun

  gun moll.
• Moll
  Moll

  noun

  a female given name.

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

She was an enabler, the classic gangster’s moll.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2023

Zhao Tao is electrifying as a mob moll who takes the fall for her boyfriend, serving five years on a gun charge, and then finding that everything in her life has changed upon her release.

From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2022

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

Cut during Madonna’s most acute phase of Marilyn Monroe-stalking, the pop queen’s attempt at a mafia moll accent just ends up sounding like a demonic kewpie doll brought to life through the dark arts.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2018

I'm like that famous gangster's moll, you know, who bruised easy but healed quick.

From Masters of Space by Berry, Robert Lee