A young inexperienced criminal or gang member; in slang, originally meant a young male companion or apprentice in criminal activity.
Possibly from Yiddish 'gantzel' meaning young person, or from 'gun' combined with a diminutive suffix. The term emerged in early 20th-century American slang, particularly in crime fiction and journalism.
The word 'gunsel' became famous in literature through Dashiell Hammett's 'The Maltese Falcon' where it described a young criminal protégé—the term captures how organized crime operated like apprenticeships, with experienced criminals training young recruits in illegal trades.
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