Etymologically
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hoodlum

Etymology and origin of the English word hoodlum

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhuːdləm/, /ˈhʊdləm/[1]

Etymology

It is of uncertain or unknown origin.[2][3][4] The most common suggestion is a German dialect word,[3][4][5][6] Bavarian Huddellump “ragamuffin”[3][4] or Swabian hudelum “disorderly”.[5][6] Newspapers of the time printed many fanciful explanations.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A young street rowdy or loafer (1871, American English).[3][4][7][5]

Semantic evolution

The word arose in San Francisco,[3][4] where a “Hoodlum Gang” of thieving boys was reported in 1868,[4] and through the 1870s it was known as a California word.[4] It spread to the rest of the United States by about 1877,[3] when it also came to mean a young criminal or gangster.[3]

Timeline

  • 1868 – the “Hoodlum Gang” in San Francisco.[4]
  • 1871 – a street rowdy.[3][4][7][5]
  • 1877 – a young criminal, gangster.[3]
  • 1908 – hoodlum wagon.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A gangster or thug.
  2. A tough, often violent young man; a young ruffian.

Word family

  • hoodlumism
  • hoodlumish
  • hood

Usage notes

Wiktionary notes the short form hood and the jocular plural hoodla.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Hoodlum.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/hoodlum. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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