German

Noun

Gang m ‎(genitive Gangs or Ganges, plural Gänge)

1. walking
2. motion, movement
3. gear
4. hallway
5. (of a meal) course

Declension

Derived terms

• Abgang
• Gangschaltung
• Rückwärtsgang
• Eingang

See also

• Allee
• Gasse

Luxembourgish

Alternative forms

• Gank

Etymology

From Old High German gang, from Proto-Germanic *gangaz. Cognate with German Gang, Dutch gang, English gang, Icelandic gangur.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɑŋ/

Noun

Gang m ‎(plural Gäng)

1. walk, gait
2. gear
3. course (of a meal)
4. hallway

Derived terms

• Agang

Serbo-Croatian

Proper noun

Gang m ‎(Cyrillic spelling Ганг)

1. Ganges (river)

English

Verb

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

1. (intransitive, chiefly Britain dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) To go; walk; proceed.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle English gang, from Old English gang ‎(“a journey; way; passage”), from Proto-Germanic *gangaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ- ‎(“to step; stride”). Cognate with Dutch gang, German Gang, Icelandic gangur, Norwegian gang ("hallway"), Old Norse gangr (passage, hallway), Swedish gång.

Noun

gang ‎(plural gangs)

1. (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, 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.

2. (obsolete) An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.
   • c. 1000, Aelfric, Homilies, Vol. I, page 290:

     Þaða he to gange com.

3. 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.

4. A group of laborers under one foreman; a squad.

   a gang of sailors; a railroad gang.

5. (US) 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, or a group of politicians united in furtherance of a political goal.

   the Winter Hill gang; the Gang of Four.

   Not all members of the Gang of Six are consistent in their opposition to filibuster.

7. (US) A chain gang.
8. 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.

9. A set; all required for an outfit.

   a new gang of stays.

10. (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.

11. (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.

12. (mining) The mineral substance which encloses a vein; a matrix; a gangue.

Synonyms

• (outhouse): See Wikisaurus:bathroom

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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

1. (intransitive) To band together as a group or gang.

   "Let's gang up on them."

2. (transitive) to attach similar items together to form a larger unit.
   • 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 1118099354, 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.

See also

• Appendix:English collective nouns

Etymology 3

See gan.

Verb

gang ‎(second-person singular simple present gangst)

1. Eye dialect spelling of gan.

Etymology 4

Shortening of gangbang

Verb

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

1. Synonym of gangbang: to have sex with a single partner as a gang.

   • Richard Allen, Skinhead, page 80:

   • ...there's a thin line to tread to avoid fights or getting "ganged" when rejecting the sexual overtures of incarcerated women.

References

• The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English.

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch gang.

Noun

gang ‎(plural gange)

1. a passageway, alley

Balinese

Etymology

From Dutch gang ‎(“passageway, alley”).

Noun

gang

1. alleyway, alley, narrow street. A narrow pathway bound by walls on both sides

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /gang/, [gɑŋˀ]

Etymology 1

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

Noun

gang c (singular definite gangen, plural indefinite gange)

1. The act of walking, a walk.
2. An intended amount of something, especially time.
3. A way or path to walk on.
4. A person's business or activity.
5. One of the few cases where something takes place, a rare event.
6. A line or closed space that can be bypassed, usually by foot.
7. A room giving access to another room.
8. A narrow road built for pedestrians, usually in a public park or facility.

Inflection

Etymology 2

See gange.

Verb

gang

1. imperative of gange

References

• “gang” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “gang” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑŋ

Etymology

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

Noun

gang m ‎(plural gangen, diminutive gangetje n)

1. passageway, alley
2. gait
3. journey
4. hallway, corridor
5. course
6. walk, way of stepping, running etc.

Derived terms

French

Etymology

Borrowing from English gang.

Pronunciation

Noun

gang m ‎(plural gangs)

1. gang, group of ill-doers

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch gang ‎(“passageway, alley”).

Noun

gang

1. alleyway, alley, narrow street. A narrow pathway bound by walls on both sides

   gang buntu — dead-end alley

2. an organized crime group
3. a group of people with distinct identity, such as high school mates. See also geng

Verb

gang

1. to form a gang group

Mandarin

Pronunciation

Romanization

gang

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

Usage notes

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse gangr, also related to gå.

Noun

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

References

• “gang” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse gangr, also related to gå.

Noun

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 class room 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

See also

• gong

References

• “gang” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Etymology

From the verb gangan ‎(“to go, walk, turn out”), from Proto-Germanic *ganganą ‎(“to go, walk”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ- ‎(“to step, walk”).

Noun

gang m ‎(nominative plural gangas)

1. going, journey, progress, track, footprint, flow, stream, way, passage, course, path

   Him tǽcean lífes weg and rihtne gang to heofonum. — To teach them life's way and the right path to heaven.

2. a company of people

   Anastasius wæs geháten se mæssepreóst þe se bisceop tó fundode swá fǽrlíce mid gange . . . Se bisceop gewende mid his gebróðrum hám.

3. drain, privy

   Ðonne him to gange lyst. — When he desires the privy.

4. platform, stage, steps

Noun

gang n ‎(nominative plural gangas)

1. occurrence; passage or lapse of time

   Geára gangum. — In the course of years.

Derived terms

Portuguese

Noun

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

1. Dated spelling of gangue.

Scots

Alternative forms

• gae
• gan

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɑŋ/

Verb

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

1. To go.
   • Robert Burns, "A Red, Red, Rose":

   And I will love thee still, my dear
   Till a’ the seas gang dry.