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hoodlums

- 2 dictionary results

hood⋅lum

  [hood-luhm, hood-]
Use hoodlums in a Sentence
–noun
1. a thug or gangster.
2. a young street ruffian, esp. one belonging to a gang.
Origin:
1870–75, Americanism; prob. < dial. G; cf. Swabian derivatives of Hudel rag, e.g. hudelum disorderly, hudellam weak, slack Hudellump(e) rags, slovenly, careless person, and related words in other dialects

Related forms:
hood⋅lum⋅ish, adjective
hood⋅lum⋅ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To hoodlums
hood·lum   (hōōd'ləm, hŏŏd'-)   
n.  
  1. A gangster; a thug.
  2. A tough, often aggressive or violent youth.

[Origin unknown.]
hood'lum·ism n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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