Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A girlfriend of a gunman or gangster.
  • noun A woman prostitute.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In music, minor: as, C moll, or C minor.
  • noun A familiar form of the feminine name
  • noun [l. c] A female companion not bound by ties of marriage, but often a life-mate: a word in common use among navvies, costermongers, and the like.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective (Mus.) Minor; in the minor mode.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective music, obsolete minor; in the minor mode
  • noun A female companion of a gangster, especially a former or current prostitute.
  • noun A prostitute or woman with loose sexual morals.
  • noun Australia, New Zealand, slang, pejorative Bitch, slut; an insulting epithet applied to a female.
  • noun Australia, New Zealand, slang A girlfriend of a bikie.
  • noun Australia, New Zealand, slang A girlfriend of a surfie; blends with pejorative sense.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the girlfriend of a gangster

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably from the name Moll, nickname for Mary.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

German, from Latin mollis ("soft, tender, elegiac"). Compare molle ("flat (in music)").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Moll, an archaic nickname for Mary (see also Molly).

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Examples

  • If I am not mistaken, the word moll is a well-rooted native word in English going back at least as far as Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders.

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XI No 4 1989

  • It would be easy to wonder: is this what modern "moll"-ism looks like – cancelling Facebook, stopping Tweeting, stifling the modern confessional urge, to stand by your man, even if he isn't your man any more?

    David Cameron, shame on you, for this 'brave' attack on nurses | Barbara Ellen 2012

  • As Cobb crafts and executes his scheme, issues surface involving a beautiful woman named Mal (Marion Cotillard), whose name is pronounced "moll" and whose smoky, seductive beauty indeed suggests a classic femme fatale of yore.

    'Inception's' dream team weaves a mesmerizing tale 2010

  • I remained in New Zealand about fourteen years, and since I came home I have never had a day's luck; I went on the 'cross, 'and got four years; after I had finished that bit, I went and lived with a' moll 'I knew, and spent all my money.

    Six Years in the Prisons of England A Merchant - Anonymous

  • But Detectives Burke and Duvaney ascertain from one of their "stool pigeons" that Michael Ribbs, alias Padlock Mike, is in funds -- that he and his "moll," who may be his wife or his mistress, are enjoying the fruits of Mike's labors.

    The Substitute Prisoner Max Marcin 1913

  • “The moll is a beauty; she is well informed, and stands by her mates, and a first-rate hand.

    Scenes from a Courtesan's Life 2007

  • "The moll is a beauty; she is well informed, and stands by her mates, and a first-rate hand.

    Scenes from a Courtesan's Life Honor�� de Balzac 1824

  • "I got to play a Mossad agent, a Southern belle and Salome," says the 30-year-old actress, adding that she "just played a gun moll from Chicago" in an upcoming Prohibition-era film.

    An Unfamiliar Face, Soon Everywhere John DeFore 2011

  • Grahame appears as the moll of a local crime boss, while William Bendix also co-stars as an undercover cop.

    Film Noir Cinema: Ray of Night « Screaming Blue Reviews 2010

  • "Tree" is only the director's fifth feature film release since his resounding 1973 debut with "Badlands," starring Martin Sheen on a murder spree with his moll, played by Sissy Spacek.

    Marketing the Malick Mystique John Jurgensen 2011

Comments

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  • In addition, moll is an adjective that means 1. soft; 2. mild (weather), as well as a noun meaning a soft or weak thing or person, specifically an effeminate man. In early music, moll = flat and was chiefly used in B moll, ♭ moll bmol'>bmol (Oxford English Dictionary).

    August 30, 2011

  • Thanks, biocon--that bit about B moll sure explains the cover of the Mozart album in the visuals.

    August 30, 2011

  • In addition, moll is short for one of our favorite Wordies - who is not, to the best of my knowledge, "a female companion not bound by ties of marriage".

    August 30, 2011

  • Pro! I was just thinking about you--did you ever finish The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay? I think you might like Maps & Legends more/better/instead.

    August 30, 2011

  • I re-opened it a few days ago... "We are" in Antarctica.

    *adds Maps and Legends to wishlist*

    August 30, 2011

  • Good--you're almost there. Keep going!

    How was Irene?

    August 31, 2011

  • I seem to be an autantonym, not being female, gangster or single.

    August 31, 2011